Conference may not affect crisis due to absence of major players: Experts

Iran on Thursday hosted a 29-nation conference on Syria with the aim of stopping bloodshed there and forging a role for Teheran as peace broker for its Arab ally.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi opened the meeting by calling for "national dialogue between the (Syrian) opposition, which has popular support, and the Syrian government to establish calm and security," according to state television.