U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry suggested on Sunday there might be ways Iran could "contribute from the sidelines" in the so-called Geneva 2 peace conference in Switzerland on January 22, and on Monday U.S. officials said Tehran might still be able to play a helpful role, Reuters reports.On Monday, U.S. officials said Iran could improve its chances of playing a role on the sidelines of the Syria peace talks by working with Damascus to stop the bombardment of civilians and improve humanitarian access."There are ... steps that Iran could take to show the international community that they are serious about playing a positive role," one of the officials told Reuters in Brussels."Those include calling for an end to the bombardment by the Syrian regime of their own people. It includes calling for and encouraging humanitarian access," Reuters quotes him as saying.However, according to Reuters, Iran on Monday appeared to rule out participation in the Syrian peace talks, dismissing the U.S. suggestion about involvement on the sidelines.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry suggested on Sunday there might be ways Iran could "contribute from the sidelines" in the so-called Geneva 2 peace conference in Switzerland on January 22, and on Monday U.S. officials said Tehran might still be able to play a helpful role, Reuters reports.
On Monday, U.S. officials said Iran could improve its chances of playing a role on the sidelines of the Syria peace talks by working with Damascus to stop the bombardment of civilians and improve humanitarian access.
"There are ... steps that Iran could take to show the international community that they are serious about playing a positive role," one of the officials told Reuters in Brussels.
"Those include calling for an end to the bombardment by the Syrian regime of their own people. It includes calling for and encouraging humanitarian access," Reuters quotes him as saying.
However, according to Reuters, Iran on Monday appeared to rule out participation in the Syrian peace talks, dismissing the U.S. suggestion about involvement on the sidelines.
