This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25809667

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
Syria crisis: Iran cannot go to Geneva peace talks - US Syria crisis: Iran cannot go to Geneva peace talks - US
(about 1 hour later)
The US has urged the UN to drop its invitation to Iran to join peace talks on Syria, due to begin on Wednesday. The US has urged the UN to drop its invitation to Iran to join peace talks on Syria, due to begin in two days.
US officials and the Western-backed opposition said Iran had not backed the aim of the negotiations, which was to form a Syrian transitional government. American officials accused Iran of failing to back the aim of the talks, which is to set up a transitional government in war-torn Syria.
The opposition National Coalition said it would pull out if Iran, a key ally of Syria's regime, went to the talks. Iran, a key ally of the Syrian regime, said it would not accept any conditions put on its participation.
Meanwhile, Syria's president has reiterated that he will not share power with the National Coalition. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "dismayed" at the row and was reconsidering the UN's options.
Bashar al-Assad said on Monday that the possibility of the National Coalition obtaining any ministerial positions in a new government was "totally unrealistic". The peace talks, due to be held in Switzerland, are being billed as the biggest diplomatic effort at resolving Syria's civil war.
In an interview with AFP news agency, Mr Assad also indicated he was not going to quit as president and that he was likely to run for a third term. More than 100,000 people have been killed and millions more displaced in the three-year war.
The National Coalition had initially refused to attend the talks because they wanted a guarantee that any transitional government would not involve Mr Assad. The Syrian regime and the main exiled opposition group, the National Coalition, were both due to send delegates to the talks.
They agreed to join the talks only two days ago, but now say that they will pull out unless the offer of Iran's participation is withdrawn by 19:00 GMT on Monday. But Mr Ban's decision to invite Iran has thrown the UN-sponsored conference into doubt.
Monzer Akbik, the National Coalition's chief of staff, said Iran's inclusion was against the promises they had received. The National Coalition said it would pull out if the invitation to Iran was not rescinded.
The coalition has "suspended participation" in the conference "until this invitation is withdrawn", he told the BBC's Newshour programme. Monzer Akbik, the National Coalition's chief of staff, told the BBC's Newshour programme that Iran's inclusion was against the promises his group had received.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said urgent talks were now going on to sort out the issue. America's UN envoy Samantha Power said Iran was not entitled to take part because it had not shown willing to "explicitly and publicly" back a transition process.
"That is a minimum requirement for participation in this peace process," she said.
However, the UN and Russia have long argued that Iran should come to the conference.
Mr Ban invited Iran to the UN-sponsored conference after he had received assurances that the Iranians would play a "positive role" in securing a transitional government.
However, Mr Ban's spokesman said Iran's subsequent public comments have been "disappointing".
The peace conference is due to open in Montreux on Wednesday, and then continue in Geneva two days later.The peace conference is due to open in Montreux on Wednesday, and then continue in Geneva two days later.
The path to the talks began in May last year when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to try to bring both sides together.The path to the talks began in May last year when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to try to bring both sides together.
Later, the UN Security Council called for a conference to implement the Geneva communique - a deal on a transitional government agreed at a UN-backed meeting in 2012.Later, the UN Security Council called for a conference to implement the Geneva communique - a deal on a transitional government agreed at a UN-backed meeting in 2012.
Mr Ban invited Iran to the UN-sponsored conference after he had received assurances that the Iranians would play a "positive role" in securing a transitional government. However, the National Coalition appears resolute that any transitional government will not involve President Bashar al-Assad.
Iran accepted the invitation to the talks "without preconditions". For his part, Mr Assad said on Monday that the possibility of the National Coalition obtaining any ministerial positions in a new government was "totally unrealistic".
The UN and Russia have long argued that Tehran should play a role. In an interview with AFP news agency, Mr Assad also indicated he was not going to quit as president and that he was likely to run for a third term.
On Monday, Mr Lavrov said he backed Mr Ban's decision to invite the Iranians, saying if they were absent, "it will look like a profanation".
But the US, which has not had formal diplomatic relations with Tehran for three decades, said Iran was not entitled to take part.
"As of this morning, Iran still has yet to demonstrate its willingness to explicitly and publicly subscribe to the full implementation of the Geneva communique," said Samantha Power, America's envoy to the UN.
"That is a minimum requirement for participation in this peace process."
The US has accused Tehran of giving military and financial support to Mr Assad's regime.
The three-year conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people.
An estimated two million people have fled the country and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced.