China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called for the participation of regional countries to solve the Syrian crisis, amid the UN-Arab joint envoy Kofi Annan's continuing efforts to end the bloodshed in the country.

"A solution for the Syrian conflict will require participation and support from regional countries, particularly those that have an influence on relevant parties in Syria," ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said at a press conference when asked to comment on Iran's role in solving the Syrian conflict.

Annan was scheduled to brief a closed meeting of the UN Security Council by videoconference from Geneva on Wednesday on his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and visits to Iran and Iraq.

Annan said in Tehran on Tuesday that Iran can play a positive role in solving the Syrian crisis and should be part of the solution, while the US has insisted it sees no role for Iran in ending the bloodshed.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki expressed the country's readiness to help solve the Syrian crisis after meeting with Annan.

Qu Xing, director of the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times that though China holds the same stance in solving the Syrian crisis through inclusive political dialogue, it will be difficult to end the violence in a peaceful manner as it will be hard to push forward Annan's plans.

"As Western countries keep supporting the opposition, the fall of Assad's regime is just a matter of time," Qu said. "With increasing pressure, Syrian people will turn against Assad under a difficult domestic economy and the military will also crack under pressure."

Meanwhile, Syria's main opposition group, the Syria National Council, on Wednesday failed to convince Russia to drop its stance toward Syria after talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, AFP reported.

Russia said it would fulfill a contract to deliver air defense systems to Syria and had no plans to impose an arms embargo on its Soviet-era ally despite growing pressure from the West.

Russia had dispatched a flotilla of 11 warships to the eastern Mediterranean, some of which would dock in Syria.

"The opposition has actively talked to Russia, but that doesn't mean its power against the Syrian government is growing," said Qu.

 He added Russia this time would not easily bend its stance since it has Moscow's only naval base outside of the former Soviet Union in Syria.

Russia said Tuesday it wanted to host a new meeting of foreign powers concerning the Syria crisis but stressed that the talks should not decide the fate of Assad, AFP reported.

Sixteen months into a conflict which monitors say has cost more than 17,000 lives, rebel fighters and regime forces clashed in the Damascus district of Qadam on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Agencies contributed to this story