Iranian FM, Brahimi Discuss Syria on Phone

(FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi discussed Syria's latest developments in a phone conversation on Friday.

During their phone talk, the Iranian foreign minister underlined the need paying attention to a political solution to the Syrian crisis and focusing on Syrian-Syrian dialogue.

at a Friday news conference after a day of meetings with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Syria’s neighbors Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, Brahimi said that about 30 countries would be invited to a one-day meeting on January 22 in the Swiss city of Montreux.

He added that Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Brazil, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will be among the invitees.

"Iran is not off the list for the moment," he noted.

"The US is still not convinced Iran's participation would be the right thing to do," said Brahimi

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.