DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Former U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan said on Friday that Iran had an essential role to play in guaranteeing stability in the Middle East and urged U.S. lawmakers to give a diplomatic detente with Tehran a chance.
Annan's successor as U.N. chief, Ban Ki-moon, this week issued and then withdrew an invitation to Iran to join international peace talks on Syria in Switzerland.
