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Middle East and North Africa

Lavrov, Kerry and Ban Ki-moon to hold trilateral meeting in Montreux on Jan 21

“Such a meeting is being planned,” the Russian diplomat said

© AP Photo/Craig Ruttle

UNITED NATIONS, January 20, 23:07 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will have a trilateral meeting in Montreaux on January 21, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin told Itar-Tass on Monday.

“Such a meeting is being planned,” the Russian diplomat said, adding it was yet unknown whether Iran was going to participate in the international conference in Montreux scheduled for January 22.

“Lavrov, Kerry and Ban Ki-moon should meet ahead of the conference, and that’s it,” Churkin said.

Failure to ensure Iran’s participation in the Geneva II international conference on Syria would be “an unforgivable mistake,” Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said on Monday, January 20.

“Failure to ensure the participation of such key players would be an unforgiveable mistake. Those who question such a need are clearly not interested in a fair resolution of the Syrian crisis,” he said.

The diplomat urged the Syrian opposition that had demanded a revocation of the invitation to Iran “to give up the practice of putting forth preconditions.”

The international Geneva II conference on Syria will start in the Swiss Montreux on January 22. It will be attended by the foreign ministers of 40 countries, the United Nations secretary-general, the League of Arab States, the Islamic Cooperation Organization and delegations of the Syrian government and opposition.

On January 24, Damascus and the opposition will continue searching for ways of settling the conflict at the United Nations Office in Geneva.

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Middle East and North Africa

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