Russia's Lavrov to visit Iran ahead of Moscow talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Iran on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming Moscow talks on Tehran's nuclear programme as well as the Syria crisis, the ministry said, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
 
"The focus of attention... will be on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, with the emphasis on the current transformation processes taking place in the Arab world and Syria," new agencies quoted a foreign ministry official as saying Monday.
 
Russia has proposed holding an international conference on Syria aimed at saving mediator Kofi Annan's tattered peace plan for a 15-month conflict that observers say has claimed more than 13,500 lives.
 
Lavrov has pressed for Iran's inclusion despite strong reservations from the United States, France and Britain.

"Without Iran's involvement, the opportunity to exert constructive pressure on Syria will not be implemented in full," the foreign ministry said on Monday.