Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry have discussed the upcoming peace talks in Switzerland aimed at ending the nearly three-year conflict in Syria.According to a statement issued by Russias Foreign Ministry, the telephone conversation was held on Friday.
The talks came as UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said that Iran's participation at the conference has not been decided upon yet due to the US opposition.
This is while countries such as Indonesia have been invited into the meeting, scheduled for January 22 in the Swiss city of Montreux.
Gennady Gatilov, a deputy Russian foreign minister, also said on Friday that Russian and American representatives have so far failed to agree on whether Iran will take part in the long-delayed conference.
He added that Moscows position was that Irans participation is important also from the viewpoint of future implementation of the agreements that may be reached during direct inter-Syrian dialogue.
The Syrian opposition has also opposed Irans participation in the peace conference.
On December 16, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Islamic Republic would take part in the Syria peace conference if it is invited to the event without any preconditions.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. Reports indicate that the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside the country.
According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the violence.
By Press TV
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