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US Should Heed Russia, Include Iran in Syria Talks

Russia is asking the US to include Iran in the upcoming "Geneva II" conference on Syria, a move that could also benefit the stalemated nuclear talks.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) speaks to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C) as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov listens during their meeting in Moscow, May 7, 2013. Kerry told Putin on Tuesday the United States and Russia share common interests in Syria, including promoting regional stability and preventing the spread of extremism. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Pool (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS)

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After opposing the inclusion of Iran in negotiations over Syria for more than two years, the administration of US President Barack Obama may finally decide to change course.

Secretary of State John Kerry, appearing on Wednesday, May 15, at a press conference in Sweden with counterparts from Sweden and Russia, stood silently while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized the need to mobilize support for new peace talks “by all the Syrian groups, the regime and all opposition groups and second, by those outside actors who have influence on either one or the other Syrian group.”

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