Iran urges Middle East states: Solve conflict without the West
Istanbul - The influence of the US and the EU in the Middle East and the Caucasus is dwindling, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Friday.
Speaking on the edges of the World Economic Forum meeting in Istanbul, Mottaki said the most recent Western attempts to intervene in the Caucasus following August's war in Georgia were "fruitless."
Regional efforts to solve the crisis would function better without them, he said.
"Perhaps what has recently occurred in Lebanon could serve as a model for the solution of conflicts by countries from within the region," said Mottaki.
Opposing factions in Lebanon concluded a compromise deal in May which ended months of political crisis, and led to the long-awaited election of new president for the country.
The crisis was partly ended through mediation by the Arab League and the Gulf state of Qatar. (dpa)
