Sr Cleric: Iran Not Invited To Geneva Confab Under US Pressure

Tehran, Jan 4, IRNA -- Tehran’s substitute Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami underlined that the US pressure has caused Iran not to be invited to the upcoming Geneva II conference. “Thanks to God, the Islamic Iran does not need to attend the conference, but the arrogant powers must know that Geneva 2 conference will definitely fail and get nowhere without Iranˈs presence,” Ayatollah Khatami said. “The upcoming international peace conference on Syria will certainly fail without the participation of Iran,” he added. On December 23, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Iran should be invited to the peace conference on Syria. On November 25, the UN set January 22, 2014, as the date for the talks. The conference will open in the Swiss city of Montreux on January 22, before moving to the UN office in Geneva on January 24./end