Syrian Minister Slams 'Hostile' French Offer to Host Coalition Envoy

Damascus deems hostile a decision by France to host an ambassador from the newly formed Syrian opposition National Coalition, a Syrian minister said in key regional ally Iran on Sunday.

"France is acting like a hostile nation," Ali Haidar, minister for national reconciliation, told Agence France Presse.

"It's as if it wants to go back to the time of the occupation," he added, referring to the French mandate in Syria after World War I.

Haidar is in Tehran for Iran-backed talks between Syrian government officials and representatives of opposition parties tolerated by President Bashar Assad's regime.

France "seeks to speak on behalf of the Syrian people, but our people do not attach any importance to this action," Haidar said.

French President Francois Hollande announced on Saturday that he would allow the Syrian opposition's National Coalition to appoint an ambassador to Paris.

The coalition, formed in Doha on November 11, is committed to building a transitional government composed of representatives of all ethnic and religious groups in conflict-ridden Syria.

It refuses to engage with the Damascus regime before Assad's departure.

On Sunday, Haidar confirmed that no coalition representatives had been invited to the Tehran talks.

"Invitations were extended to all those who accept dialogue, not to those who refuse to talk as a matter of principle," he said.