Iraq Asks To Participate In Sochi Conference On Syria

Baghdad, Iraq (NINA) - Iraq demanded to participate in the Sochi conference on Syria scheduled to be held at the end of this month. " Iraq's presence as an observer in the talks is necessary," Iraqi ambassador to Russia Haidar al-Athari told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, added "The situation in neighboring Syria has a direct impact on the internal situation in Iraq." Al-Athari stressed the need to benefit from "our experience in fighting terrorism and the victory over Daesh terrorist organizations." It is mentioned that Egypt and China have asked to participate as observers in these talks, which are run by the three ceasefire trustees in Syria, Russia, Turkey and Iran. The Geneva talks last month ended without tangible progress. Russia called for a "national dialogue conference" in Russia, while the Russian Foreign Ministry published on its website a list of 33 Syrian entities invited to participate./ End