Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi asserted on Thursday that the Syrian opposition refused Iran's participation in the Geneva 2 conference because it considered that Tehran's absence will weaken its regional role.
Al-Zoabi's comments were made during an interview with Nharkom Said TV show in which he noted that Saudi Arabia wants to gain any political position, noting that the International community means by changing the regime in Syria is the ouster of President Bachar al-Assad.
He added that President al-Assad will only step down when he fails in the presidential elections.
Al-Zoabi noted that the battles taking place in Syria is a "war against global terrorism", noting that terrorist organizations such as The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Syria.
The fighting since the start of January has killed more than 1,000 people, according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitors. The fissures within rebel ranks have helped President Bashar al-Assad's forces claw back territory around the northern commercial hub of Aleppo.
About 130,000 people have been killed and a quarter of Syrians driven from their homes in the civil war, which began with peaceful protests against 40 years of Assad family rule and has descended into a sectarian conflict, with the opposing sides armed and funded by Sunni Arab states and Shi'ite Iran.