EC secretary underlines Iran\'s vital role in region

Secretary of Iran\'s Expediency Council (EC) Mohsen Rezaei reiterated Iran\'s influential role in the settlement of the crisis in the region, specially in Syria. In a ceremony on Sunday afternoon, Rezaei said that solving the existing problems in Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Bahrain is impossible without Iran’s presence. Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov once again underlined that Iran should take part in the upcoming Geneva II Conference in Switzerland. “We welcome Iran’s participation in the upcoming Geneva II conference,” Lavrov told reporters after a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Nabil Fahmy in Cairo. He reiterated that Iran and the entire neighbors of Syria must be invited to the Geneva II Conference. “Without their position taken into account, without due attention given to their concerns, it would be difficult to forge a sustainable solution,” the Russian foreign minister said. On May 28, Lavrov emphasized the necessity of Iran’s attendance at the upcoming talks in Geneva. “The issue of Iran is key for us. Iran, without question, is one of the most important nations,” he said at the time. The conflict in Syria started in March 2011, when sporadic pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of western and regional states. The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle-East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history. As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government has boosted its political and military support to Takfiri extremists. Washington has remained indifferent to warnings by Russia and other world powers about the consequences of arming militant groups. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions of others displaced in the violence. Reports indicate that western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside the country.