Annan in Tehran after ‘constructive’ talks with Assad

TEHRAN,July 10 (MNA) – Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League joint special envoy on Syria, arrived in Tehran late on Monday to hold talks with Iranian officials on the Syrian crisis. Annan was officially welcomed by the Iranian deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The former United Nations secretary general held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad before heading for Tehran. “I just had a positive and constructive discussion with President Assad,” Annan told reporters in Syria, Reuters reported. He added, “We agreed (on) an approach which I will share with the opposition.” Annan once again highlighted the importance of halting violence and promoting political dialogue, the key points of the plan he put forward in April, which Assad has said is being undermined by U.S. political support for “terrorists”. Annan’s six-point calls for a UN-supervised ceasefire by all parties, the withdrawal of soldiers and heavy weapons from cities, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance. This is Annan’s second visit to Iran as the UN-Arab League joint special envoy on Syria. He had already said that he would brief Syrian and Iranian officials on the outcomes of a meeting of the Action Group on Syria held in Geneva on June 30. Annan has repeatedly emphasized that Iran should be ‘part of the solution’ to the Syrian crisis.