The first day of the U.N.-backed Syrian peace conference ended with deep divisions between all sides. Syria’s foreign minister described rebel groups as “terrorists” while an opposition leader called the regime of Bashar al-Assad a “disease” that should be finished. Bashar Jaafari, Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations, criticized the United Nations for bowing to the U.S.-led call for withdrawing Iran’s invitation.

Bashar Jaafari: “We had today 40 countries seemingly preselected in a way that most of them would be anti-Syrian delegations, meaning that they are coming from governments who do have hostile policies towards the Syrian government. But at the same time, coincidentally, paradoxically, let me say it, the secretary-general excluded Iran. So we add 10 new countries, and we exclude Iran at the same time.”