RSS Feeds  Iran 's heavyweight absence hangs over Syria talks
Thursday - 1/23/2014, 3:50pm  ET  Associated Press  MONTREUX,
Switzerland (AP) -- It's the regional heavyweight that few want
at the table, but without it any attempt to end the Syria war
may be futile. Iran's backing is crucial for President Bashar
Assad's hold on power -- and for the Iranians, Syria is key to
their aspirations of regional power.  As an international
conference on Syria kicked off Wednesday with the participation
of more than 40 countries, Iran's absence hung over the meeting,
following a diplomatic debacle that saw the U.N. withdraw a
last-minute invitation after an uproar from the United States
and the Syrian opposition.  The absence of Damascus' strongest
regional ally stood out even more given that the biggest
supporters of the opposition were all present: Saudi Arabia,
Qatar and Turkey.  The question of Iran's participation
underlines how the international powers that have lined up
behind either Assad or the rebels trying to