Syrian Kurdish refugees wait for transportation after crossing into Turkey, near the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province September 30, 2014. Tens of thousands more Syrians could be forced to flee their war-torn homeland if Islamic Sta
Syrian Kurdish refugees wait for transportation after crossing into Turkey, near the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province September 30, 2014. Tens of thousands more Syrians could be forced to flee their war-torn homeland if Islamic State fighters continue gaining ground, the U.N. aid chief warned on Tuesday as U.S.-led air strikes pound the extremist group. Valerie Amos told the United Nations Security Council that recent advances by Islamic State - also known as ISIL and ISIS - in northern Aleppo had forced more than 160,000 people, mostly women and children, to escape across the border into Turkey in just a few days. Reuters/Murad Sezer

Iran and Saudi Arabia announced they will participate in international talks about the Syrian conflict on Friday in Vienna.

It is the first time ever that the regional adversaries will share a common platform to talk about the civil war in Syria, which is now into its fifth year and has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people. Twelve countries, including Egypt, the European Union, Qatar, Iraq, France, the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, will also be in attendance.

Iran accepted Russia's invitation to the meeting on Wednesday, and will send its Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to Vienna. A top official made the announcement in Tehran on state television, saying the minister will particpate in peace talks on the Syrian conflict.

“We have reviewed the invitation, and it was decided that the foreign minister would attend,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said, as reported by AFP.

Iran did not receive an invitation for similar talks held in Geneva in 2012 and 2014.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said he was representing his nation at the talks to figure out the willingness of Russia and Iran to agree on a peace deal, considering they are the Syrian government's main supporters.

“We should test the intentions of the Iranians and the Russians in arriving at a political solution in Syria, which we all prefer,” al-Jubeir said at a news conference held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

He also told Reuters that Saudi Arabia and its supporters would conduct a meet on Friday to decide on “the time and means of Bashar al-Assad’s exit.”

U.S. President Barack Obama had previously said that the Syrian conflict cannot come to an end until Assad is ousted.

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