The comments by Walid al-Moallem marked the first direct confirmation that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready to send representatives to the UN-sponsored conference.

Al-Moallem said Sunday that talks in Geneva present a "good opportunity for a political solution for the crisis in Syria."

He spoke at a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad, where he was making an unannounced visit.

A meeting of Syrian main opposition blocs in Istanbul failed to unite the leaders of the Syrian National Council. The opposition risks being unable to present a coherent front at the forthcoming Geneva conference, making the whole talks irrelevant.

Much about the conference remains up in the air, including its date, agenda and list of participants. There are also still deep gaps between the two sides on what the meeting should accomplish.

At the same time, fighting against terrorist groups continues unabated inside Syria. For the past week, Syrian soldiers have been engaging in heavy clashes in the strategic militant-held town of al-Qusayr in western Syria. The army is reported to have gained ground and they are moving forward to free the whole area of terrorists.

As the government is struggling with the more than two-year old bloody insurgency, the US, Israel and their Western allies have threatened to send more arms to militants if President Bashar al-Assad does not leave.

On Wednesday, a US Senate committee voted in favor of a bill, authorizing the government to provide foreign-sponsored militants in Syria with lethal weapons and military training.