World Bulletin / News Desk

Turkey welcomes any country which can make a constructive contribution to Geneva II - peace talks aimed at ending the three year long conflict in Syria - scheduled for January 22, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Levent Gumrukcu told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday.

Gumrukcu said Iran, as an important country in the region, would play a significant role in the process whether it participates in the Geneva II conference or not.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cannot be a part of any future government, he reiterated, saying "the core group of the Friends of Syria strongly opposes it and this is also a precondition set by the Syrian National Coalition."

Gumrukcu said an international meeting of the 11 core group of the Friends of Syria would take place in Paris on January 12, ahead of the scheduled talks in Montreux, Switzerland.