Iranian state TV quoted the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Marzieh Afkham, as saying that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and senior deputies would take part.
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The latest attempt to stifle a Syrian civil war – in which 250,000 people have been killed and millions rendered homeless – follows other attempts in Geneva that came to nothing. Americans and foreign players in Syria have no choice but to accept the realities there.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said he was representing his nation in the talks to figure out the willingness of Russian Federation and Iran to agree on a peace deal as he knew they are main supporters of the Syrian government.
“Saudi Arabia and its allies would hold a separate meeting on Friday to discuss the time and means of ousting Bashar al-Assad”, the Saudi foreign minister added.
US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken has cautiously welcomed Iran’s participation. It therefore makes sense to reach out to them. Russia’s intervention has bolstered the position of the regime, whose fighting strength has been replenished by an influx of Iranian “military advisers” and fighters from Hizbollah, Iran’s Lebanon-based proxy force.
Britain’s Foreign Office said the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Jordan will also be present.
Iran’s inclusion marks a crucial shift after it was excluded from earlier talks mainly because of opposition from the United States and Iranian rival Saudi Arabia.
Kerry is heading to Vienna Wednesday for a new round of talks on solving the Syria crisis. Syrian opposition forces have been supported and supplied by the United States and Sunni monarchies in the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia.
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council told reporters during a visit to Pakistan on Wednesday that Tehran had entered the Syria talks “with no pre-conditions”.
The involvement of Iran has always been the main obstacle to a comprehensive worldwide peace initiative on Syria.
Russian aircraft have hit 118 “terrorist” targets in Syria in 24 hours.
Iran has also spent billions of dollars in the past four years to keep Assad in power, with hundreds of its troops on the ground.
“Several countries in the region and the West, including France, are continuing up until now to support terrorism by giving political cover to terrorist groups in Syria and the region”, he told three visiting French right-wing legislators, according to state news agency SANA. For a long while, the United States argued that Mr Assad must go – as President Barack Obama declared four years ago at the White House – before negotiations on a successor could begin.
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He said airstrikes are targeting the 70-mile stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border that militants still control.
