Syrian opposition says it will not attend Geneva talks if Iran is there

The Syrian opposition threatened on Monday to boycott the Geneva II conference if the UN’s invitation for Iran to attend was not withdrawn.

“The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) will not participate in the Geneva II conference as long as the UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon has not cancelled Iran’s invitation,” SNC spokesperson Louay Safi tweeted.

After intensive discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamed Javad Zarif, Moon revealed that he had invited Iran to attend the conference, and that Tehran accepted.

Moon said that Iran, as the main and core ally to Damascus, could play a “positive and constructive role” to ending the crisis in Syria.

Countries interested in the Syrian issue are expected to arrive in Switzerland on Wednesday when the conference is scheduled to start. The aim of the conference is to agree on a roadmap for Syria that includes the creation of a transitional government and eventual elections.