Moment of truth for Syria, but Iran left in the cold by UN - and now Assad says he may stand in this
in this year's presidential election.
1/20/2014
Patrick Cockburn
A long-awaited peace conference on Syria is likely to go ahead without one of the major participants of the conflict after the United Nations withdrew an invitation to Iran to attend the talks in Geneva.
The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, rescinded Iran's invitation on the same day it was unexpectedly issued, following the threat of a boycott from the Syrian opposition and pressure from the United States.
That the conference would take place at all looked in serious doubt through much of Monday, with Iran's participation being a major sticking point for the opposition.
The meeting, arranged with strong US and Russian backing, is the only opportunity available for de-escalating, if not ending, the civil war in Syria.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/moment-of-truth-for-syria-but-iran-still-left-in-the-cold--and-now-assad-says-he-may-stand-in-this-years-presidential-election-9073259.html