TEHRAN, July 15 (Itar-Tass) —— Tehran is ready to offer a platform for talks between the Syrian government and the opposition, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday.

The ISNA, Iran’s news agency, quotes him as saying Tehran “is ready to favour and provide necessary conditions for negotiations between the opposition and the government of the Syrian Arab Republic.”

Earlier, special envoy of the UN and the League of Arab States Kofi Annan said Iran should participate in the search for a settlement of the Syrian problem. “Iran is a key player. It has influence in the region, and we should not ignore it. Tehran should participate actively in the search for a solution,” Annan said. this position was not shared by several Western countries, which spoke against involvement of Iran in the international conference on Syria.