State Dept. wary of Iran role in Syria conference
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says it remains "deeply concerned" about Iran's support of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, even after the United Nations invited Iran's foreign minister to attend a Syrian peace conference this week.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki (SAH'-kee) says Iran must agree to principles established in an earlier peace conference. Those include the establishment of a transitional governing body in Syria.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Iran has agreed to endorse the principles in the so-called "Geneva communique."
Psaki says the U.N. invitation "must be rescinded" if Iran does not fully and publicly accept the Geneva communique.
The foreign ministers meeting Wednesday in Montreux precedes talks scheduled to begin Friday between Assad's delegation and Syrian opposition groups at the U.N. headquarters in Geneva.
