The United Nations hopes that talks between Russia and the US over Irans participation in the upcoming international conference on Syria would yield a result, a UN official says.
UN Secretary General's Spokesperson Martin Nesirky on Friday expressed hope that impending talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry would reach a result over Tehrans presence in Geneva conference.
"Russia and the US will hold talks on the issue since they are the states which called for holding the conference," Nesirky told Russia Today on Friday.
Nesirky, however, did not specify the date of bilateral meeting between Russian and American officials.
On December 25, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said internationally brokered Syrian peace talks would be impossible without the participation of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on December 23 that Iran should be invited to the peace conference on Syria.
Italy Foreign Minister Emma Bonino on December 22 stressed the need for Irans effective participation in the peace conference aimed at resolving the deadly crisis in Syria.
Bonino emphasized that the Islamic Republic must play a fundamental role in resolving the foreign-backed turmoil in Syria.
On November 25, the UN set January 22, 2014, as the date for the talks. The conference will open in the Swiss city of Montreux on January 22, before moving to the UN office in Geneva on January 24.