Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Iran can play a significant role in resolving the ongoing crisis in Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Iran can play a significant role in resolving the ongoing crisis in Syria.

During a press briefing on Saturday, Lavrov proposed that an international conference on Syria be held with the aim of supporting the peace plan brokered by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, noting, “We want this event to be effective. In order to be effective, all the sides with any influence on the sides in the Syrian conflicts should be represented there. Iran is one such country.”

Annan’s six-point plan, effective from mid-April, calls for the establishment of a ceasefire as well as political dialogue between the Syrian government and the armed rebels.

Lavrov said during the Saturday press briefing that although the truce in Syria has been shaky, there is “no alternative” to the Annan plan and suggested that the plan be made more "detailed" and "specified."

The unrest in Syria began in March 2011. Many people, including security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters, but Damascus blames “outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.