World Bulletin / News Desk

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Tuesday it was meaningless to set preconditions for Iran’s attendance at the Geneva II Conference on Syria slated for later this month.

Zarif met Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad who came to the Iranian capital Tehran to discuss the latest situation in Syria and a political solution to the ongoing civil war.

"What is going on in Syria today is a big test for the stability and security of the whole region. We need the cooperation of all countries in order to combat terrorism and radicalism," Zarif said in an official statement published on the Ministry's website after the conclusion of the meeting which was closed to the press.

"We find it meaningless for Iran to face preconditions to attend the Geneva II Conference. Iran has a significant and effective role in the solution process of all regional issues, particularly the issue of Syria,” he said.

“Iran will not accept any preconditions to participate in the Geneva II Conference, and is ready to help resolve the crisis if officially invited," he added in the statement.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Mekdad pointed out the importance of Iran's participation in the Geneva II Conference scheduled for January 22, and criticized the efforts of some Western countries to prevent Iran's attendance as "irrational and unacceptable".

"The Syrian government believes that the participation of Iran in particular and of other influential regional countries in the Geneva II conference will help strengthen the security and stability both in the region and in the world," Mekdad said.

Lebanon receives invitation to attend Geneva II

Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour on Tuesday received a formal invitation from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to attend the Geneva II conference on the Syria crisis, slated for later this month, the official Lebanese news agency reported.

The Geneva II conference, set to kick off on January 22, is ostensibly aimed at resolving the ongoing crisis in violence-wracked Syria.

Syria has been in the throes of conflict since 2011 when a peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assad escalated into civil war following a violent government crackdown.

According to the UN, more than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict to date.