Iran should be part of the solution to the Syria crisis, international mediator Kofi Annan said on Friday, June 22 a week before a planned crisis meeting that is in doubt because of Western objections to the Islamic Republic's participation, according to Reuters.

Annan told a news conference that he wanted states with influence on both sides of the conflict to be involved in the peace process and said some countries had taken national initiatives that risked unleashing "destructive competition."