Salehi, Lakhdar Brahimi Confer In New York

New York, Sept 25, IRNA – Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi held talks with the UN-Arab League mediator on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi here on Monday evening. Referring to his recent visit to Syria and Egypt, Salehi said Tehran believes that the Syrian crisis would be settled through coordination among all belligerent sides. Underlining the need for an end to violence, dispatch of arms to extremist groups and foreign meddling in domestic affairs of the Syrian nation, he called for holding national talks between the government and opposition groups. Lauding Brahimi's previous activities in Afghanistan and Iraq, Salehi voiced Islamic Republic's support for his current mission. Brahimi, for his part, described Salehi's recent visits to Damascus and Cairo as crucial, emphasizing on settling the Syrian crisis. He also stressed that escalation of the ongoing crisis in Syria would effect the entire region. Stressing the importance of negotiations with Iran for resolving the Syrian crisis, Brahimi announced that he would travel to Tehran in near future./end