According to AFP, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet on January 13 to decide Iran's role in ending the nearly three-year-old war, said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
Russia supports the participation of Iran, a major backer of President Bashar al-Assad, at talks scheduled to start in Switzerland on January 22.
Haq confirmed to reporters that Ban has started asking countries to attend, while Iran was not among the first invitations.
The 30 countries on the list do include Saudi Arabia, a major backer of the Syrian opposition, as well as Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – the five UN Security Council permanent members – and Syria's neighbours such as Turkey, Iraq and Jordan.
Ban has spoken in favor of Iran's attendance. "We all know that the active support of regional powers in a political solution is critical," said Haq.
Kerry reaffirmed the US position on Sunday while adding that Iran could play a role to help resolve Syria’s crisis.
MNA
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