Tehran has seen �no lists we can agree upon� of�Syrian opposition groups that should be included in peace negotiations planned for January 1, 2016, he told the Associated Press.
�Card-carrying members of al-Qaeda do not satisfy the conditions that we set for members of the opposition,� he said.
�The (Syrian) opposition should be serious, and it should be inclusive,� the Iranian foreign minister added.
Zarif further said he didn't�know whether Friday talks in New York on Syria's future would produce any tangible outcome. �We still don�t know,� he said.
Foreign ministers from 17 countries, including Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the US, as well as delegates from international organizations will�sit at the negotiating table in New York to work out a solution.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"]
Russia�s FM Sergei Lavrov (center-R), US Secretary of State John Kerry (center) and foreign ministers from other countries attend a conference on the Syrian conflict in Vienna, November 14, 2015. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]On Wednesday, Zarif�made it clear that any preconditions�set by certain foreign parties about�Syria's political future would�merely prolong�the bloodshed in the Arab country.
Upon arrival in New York, the Iranian minister said it was up to�the Syrian people�to decide their own fate without the meddling of outside parties.
Zarif said Iran had�decided to participate in the negotiations "to make sure the terrorist groups that have the blood of Syrians on their hands will gain no role in the Arab county�s future."
Iran, he said,�seeks a ceasefire and settlement of differences through dialog and the formation of a national unity government in the Arab country.
By Press TV
