Iran calls for Syrian peace talks

TEHRAN - Iran called for "serious and inclusive" dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition on Thursday after hosting an international conference on the Syria crisis.

"We want them (the opposition) to sit down with the Syrian government and cooperate so that the implementation of the reforms can be hastened and help the violence stop," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said after a four-hour meeting in Tehran attended by representatives from 29 nations, including Russia, China and India.

Salehi said the participants were seriously concerned about the continuing violence in Syria and called for a national solution without any foreign interference.

"Syria should not become the first example of the West allowing itself in the future to determine the political systems of countries in the region," Salehi said.

In an article published by The Washington Post on Thursday, Salehi warned that an abrupt political change in conflict-ridden Syria without a roadmap for managed political transition will lead only to destabilization in one of the world's most sensitive regions.

"Some world powers and certain states in the region need to stop using Syria as a battleground for settling scores or jostling for influence," he said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also made an appeal for a Syrian-led transition process "based on dialogue and compromise," warning the country may fall into a long-term civil war.

"We face the grim possibility of long-term civil war destroying Syria's rich tapestry of interwoven communities," Ban said in a statement delivered to the Tehran conference.

"There will be no winner in Syria," he said.