Iran foreign minister to join Syria talks in Switzerland

[TEHRAN] Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will take part in talks this weekend in Switzerland on the Syrian crisis, a spokesman said Friday.

"Foreign Minister Zarif will attend the international conference on the Syrian crisis in Lausanne," foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said, according to the IRNA state news agency.

Iranian media had earlier reported that Iran, which is one of the main supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, would not take part in the talks.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry are set to meet for the first talks on Syria since continued breaches of a truce led Washington to halt bilateral negotiations with Moscow earlier this month.

Also taking part in the conference are Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar - all backers of Syrian opposition forces.

Hopes are low that the talks with lead to a breakthrough in resolving the five-year conflict that has claimed more than 300,000 lives.

AFP