At this Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, expectations for peace talks to end the civil war next door were already low.
Then on Monday, the surprise news…
… U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon unexpectedly invited Iran, Syria's main foreign backer in the war, to attend the talks.
Many here are now feeling even less hopeful.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN REFUGEE, ABU ABDULLAH, SAYING:
"The opposition will not agree to this, nor will the Syrian people. We will not support the Geneva conference as long as Iran is participating in this conference."
Syria's main opposition group agrees.
Iran's presence was one of the most contentious issues looming over the negotiations, dubbed "Geneva 2" and scheduled to begin Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition, which only two days ago reluctantly agreed to attend the talks, gave Iran an ultimatum…
…withdraw from the negotiations, or we won't come to the table.
SOUNDBITE (English)
