US, Iran may cooperate on Syria aid

The US and Iran may work together to resolve the crisis in Syria and allow relief workers access to Syrians in need of UN aid, Foreign Policy reported Friday.

Both Iran and the US — which are known to sit on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ongoing offensive against rebels aiming to topple him — were invited by the UN’s chief relief coordinator, Valerie Amos, to participate in a high-level meeting in Geneva to discuss ways to provide aid workers with easier access to civilian populations In Syria.

Both countries reportedly “responded favorably” to the invitation, with Iranian UN mission spokesman Alireza Miryousefi telling Foreign Policy that Tehran welcomed “any efforts to help [the] Syrian people” to supplement “political steps.”

Diplomats in Washington, which has expressed unwillingness to cooperate with Tehran on the Syrian issue, accusing it of being a party to the conflict, said US representatives were likely to attend the meeting.

Australia, Britain, China, France, Luxembourg, Russia, Kuwait, Qatar, and a representative of the European Union were also reportedly invited.

“The objective of the high level humanitarian group is to foster and maximize cooperation among those countries with influence over parties to the Syrian conflict to address humanitarian challenges,” read a confidential UN document on the planned meeting, which was quoted by Foreign Policy.