UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon took everyone by surprise today with a last second invitation for Iran to attend the Geneva 2 peace talks on Syria. Russia had been backing an invitation for Iran for months, over US objections.
The announcement was immediately condemned by what few Syrian opposition factions had agreed to attend, and they are now threatening to withdraw from the talks unless Iran is barred.
The US State Department also demanded that the invitation be immediately rescinded, saying Iran could only be allowed to attend if they agreed to regime change before the conference began.
Secretary of State John Kerry had previously ruled out inviting Iran, saying their support for Assad made them a “major actor” in the civil war. Large numbers of other Middle East nations openly backing the rebels have been invited, however.
The negotiations scenario – on the one side 'the allied coalition for regime change ia a 'free' Syria – good guys', on the other the Assad regime, in the midddle the UN. Nobody else need apply.
Why the hell is the US angry? They are 6,000 miles farther than Iran to the conflict.
Righteous!!! So if Iran is a “major actor” in the Syrian civil war, what does that make the US, navel lint? The US is supplying weapons and other aid to the rebels. The Iranians are supplying weapons and other aid to the Syrian state. Not for a lack of trying but I can't see a difference.
Oh, wait…the US is never wrong and always right. Right? Yeah, right.
The US decided to invite Iran. But they would loose their face (and Israel) if they do it directly. So they used their UN-organisation and make an angry face. Thats politics as usual.