Syria - U.S. is adamantly opposed to Iran taking part in talks, while Russia supports its inclusion.

Syria - U.S. is adamantly opposed to Iran taking part in talks, while Russia supports its inclusion.(AA).United Nations envoy Kofi Annan has proposed inviting Iran to a high-level meeting this week to discuss a political transition in Syria but is leaving it up to the U.S. and Russia to decide whether Iran can participate, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, as the U.S. described the U.N. Security Council as a “colossal failure” in protecting Syrian civilians, amid a continual rise in death toll nationwide. U.S. officials said Monday that Annan wants an “understanding” between Washington and Moscow on Iran, other potential guests and the agenda, before he issues formal invitations to the meeting he intends to host in Geneva on Saturday. The U.S. is adamantly opposed to Iran taking part, while Russia supports its inclusion. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the diplomacy. They said Annan is seeking a U.S.-Russian agreement by later Tuesday. Washington said late Monday that the U.N. Security Council has been a “colossal failure” in protecting Syrian civilians and made a new demand for sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad. The council, which is divided on how to end the conflict, “continues to stand by, rather than to stand up,” Susan Rice, U.S. envoy to the United Nations, told the 15-nation body. The Security Council is to get an update on the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) on Tuesday from Nasser al-Kudwa, deputy to Annan. “The situation in Syria represents a colossal failure by the Security Council to protect civilians,” Rice told a council debate on civilians in conflict, according to AFP.Kamal al-Labwani, one of the founders of the Syrian National Front, expressed to Al Arabiya his fear of a possible regional conflict as the fighting escalates in Syria. “What the [Syrian] regime is doing now is an attempt to direct the attention away from what is happening interiorly,” he said. “The Assad regime now fears that Russia might change its stand,” Labwani told Al Arabiya. While the United States, Britain, France and Germany have called for sanctions against Assad, Russia and China have twice used their powers as permanent members of the council to veto resolutions which hinted at sanctions.Read the full story here.