Iran can play positive role in resolving Syria crisis: Annan

TEHRAN,July 11(MNA) - Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League joint special envoy on Syria said that Iran can play a “positive” role in resolving the crisis engulfing Syria. “My presence here proves that I believe Iran can play a positive role and should therefore be a part of the solution (to) the Syrian crisis,” Annan stated during a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran on Tuesday, AP reported. He also said that he has “received encouragement and cooperation” from the Iranian government. Asked to provide details about the agreement on the “new approach” reached during his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Monday, Annan said that Assad had proposed “building an approach from the ground up in some of the districts where we have extreme violence to try and contain the violence in those districts, and, step by step, build up and end the violence across the country,” Reuters reported. “The details (have) to be worked out with the opposition. We have to discuss this with them. That’s why I can’t go into details, but it relates to end(ing) the violence,” he noted. “If we don’t make a real effort to resolve this issue peacefully and it were to get out of hand and spread in the region, it can lead to consequences that none of us could imagine,” Annan added.