  We give a necessary and sufficient condition for an inverse sequence $S_0
\leftarrow S_1 \leftarrow \dots$ indexed by natural numbers to have ${\rm
lim}^1S=0$. This condition can be treated as a transfinite version of the
Mittag-Leffler condition. We consider inverse sequences in an arbitrary abelian
category having a generator and satisfying Grothendieck axioms ${\rm (AB3)}$
and ${\rm (AB4^*)}.$ We also show that the class of inverse sequences $S$ such
that ${\rm lim}\: S={\rm lim}^1 S=0$ is the least class of inverse sequences
containing the trivial inverse sequence and closed with respect to small limits
and a certain type of extensions.
