Fars News Agency :: Egyptian FM Views Iran Part of Solution to Syrian Crisis

Egyptian FM Views Iran Part of Solution to Syrian Crisis TEHRAN (FNA)- Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr stressed that Iran is an influential party in Syria and should be part of the solution to the Syrian crisis.

Speaking to the Egyptian Al-Ahram newspaper, Kamel Amr pointed to Egypt's Syria Contact Group initiative, with Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia as its members, and stated, "Although some sides said there is no room for Iran around the negotiating table, we believe that Iran can never be ignored."

The top diplomat reiterated that Iran should contribute its role to the solution of the Syrian crisis.

Meantime, the Egyptian minister reiterated that Cairo is seeking to push the quartet towards a unified stance for "marginalizing foreign military intervention in Syria", and cautioned that foreign intervention would only complicate the problem.

The crisis should be resolved within an Arab framework and the future of Syria should be determined by the people of Syria, Amr said.

Late in September, Iranian, Egyptian and Turkish foreign ministers attended a meeting of the Contact Group on Syria in a bid to find a peaceful solution to the current crisis in the Arab country.

Saudi Arabia was not represented in the meeting of the contact group on Syria as his foreign minister was reportedly suffering an ailment.

In a joint press conference after the tripartite talks with Mohammed Kamel Amr and Ahmet Davutoglu, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi underlined the need for patience and awareness to restore calm in Syria, and said that only a solution agreed by all Syrians can soothe the crisis in the Arab country.

Salehi also said that members of the Contact Group on Syria share identical views about finding a solution to the current crisis in Syria.

"The common ground between us is more than our differences," Salehi told reporters.

The Iranian minister emphasized that there must be a Syrian solution and not one imposed from the outside.

During the press conference, Davutoglu called for a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis, adding that the group of four countries agreed on some common points.