Salehi Urges Cessation Of Bloodshed In Syria

Tehran, Oct 15, IRNA – Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Sunday evening that the first step to settle Syrian crisis is to stop killing and conflicts there. The interested parties have realized that there is no solution to the Syrian crisis but a diplomatic one, said Salehi during a meeting with the visiting United Nations special envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi. The Iranian foreign minister voiced Tehran's readiness for any kind of cooperation with the UN envoy to resolve the Syrian crisis. Elaborating on Iran's efforts to help resolve the ongoing crisis, Salehi stressed that regional countries do not want tensions in the region. Tehran has already called on various Syrian groups to express their point of view on the initial plan proposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, said Salehi describing the plan as well-balanced. He underlined the need to complete the process of reforms in Syria without any foreign interference. For his part, the UN envoy briefed Salehi on his regional visits and said the current situation in Syria is critical. Brahimi appreciated Iran's comprehensive plan for Syria, hoping the real reforms will be followed up in the country seriously. On the contact group on Syria, he expressed hope that Iran's negotiations with Turkey and Egypt would be fruitful. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for immediate ceasefire in Syria, said the UN envoy, adding that the international body believes that all should help materialize the truce./end