UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan confirmed an international meeting on Syria would be held in Geneva on the weekend.
UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan confirmed an international meeting on Syria would be held in Geneva on the weekend.
Annan said the action group on Syria will meet at the ministerial level, despite wrangling between Moscow and Washington over the terms of reference and guest list.
"The objectives ... are to identify steps and measures to secure full implementation of the six-point plan ... including an immediate cessation of violence in all its forms," Annan said in a statement.
He was referring to his ceasefire plan which was has seen daily violations since it came into effect on April 12.
The UN-Arab League peace envoy also said he would keep Syria ally Iran involved in efforts to halt the conflict even though the Islamic Republic has not been invited to Saturday's meeting, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
Annan will "brief" Iran after Saturday's ministerial meeting in Geneva and "will also ensure their continued engagement," Nesirky told reporters.
Annan "has been clear about the need for Iran to be part of the solution and so has the (UN) secretary general," Nesirky added.
There was no immediate reaction from Tehran but Iran's UN ambassador, Mohammad Khazaee, stressed that his country would have a role.
"One fact that nobody can ignore is the influence and constructive role that the Islamic Republic of Iran has and had in the region," Khazaee told reporters in New York.
For his part, Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that Saudi Arabia was also not on the guest list.
"We thought that Iran could make a useful contribution. The fact that Iran and Saudi Arabia are not going to be in Geneva does not mean that they are going to be out of the picture altogether. Their influence is there anyway, so we have to factor that in and reckon with it."
Among those due to attend are US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov whose country insists that Iran's absence from the meeting could complicate chances for its success.
