Syrian president willing to talk with opposition, senior Iranian MP says

TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (MNA) - A senior Iranian lawmaker said Syrian President Bashar al Assad is willing to meet opposition representatives to end the 17-month conflict in his country. “If the opposition, the armed opposition and the countries that are supporting it can accept it then a dialogue can begin,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. Boroujerdi who met President Assad in Damascus on Sunday said the willingness for dialogue by the Syrian government was a positive sign. The Iranian envoy announced his country was willing to host the talks. The Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi also told reporters on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement expert meeting in Tehran on Sunday that Tehran was ready to host negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition.