Iran hands visiting UN Syria envoy proposal

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Sunday gave visiting UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi a proposal aimed at ending the conflict in key regional ally Syria.Salehi said Tehran had handed its unofficial detailed proposal in writing aimed at solving the Syrian crisis to Brahimi as well as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, in comments broadcast on Arabic-language Al-Alam television.He did not go into details about the proposals, only adding Tehran would support efforts by the international envoy.Brahimi, who arrived in Tehran from Turkey after meeting with Saudi officials, welcomed the Iranian initiative.The Damascus regime accuses Riyadh and Ankara of arming rebels seeking to overthrow it.I thank you for the proposals and as I told you there are some ideas in your proposals which can help by adding to that forwarded by other nations who are also important with regards to the Syrian situation, Brahimi said in a joint press briefing.We hope all these ideas gather into a project to put an end to the Syrian peoples nightmare.I am repeating the call by the United Nations secretary general (Ban Ki-moon) for the initiation of a ceasefire by the Syrian government and asking the opposition to reciprocate once the government commenced, he added.Brahimi later on Sunday met with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in talks during which the Iranian leader repeated his governments offer of help in solving the Syrian crisis.Iran is ready to cooperate and help in order for the Syrian people to live in calmness and security, reported the presidency website, president.ir.Fighting in Syria means the spread of insecurity in the whole region and efforts exerted to break up Syria will lead to decades of insecurity in the region due to the countrys ethnic structure, Ahmadinejad told the veteran Algerian diplomat.The solution to improve the Syrian situation is for all parties to reach this conclusion that with calmness and security, the Syrian issue can be solved, the Iranian president said.No one should seek to impose his opinion on others and the Syrian people in completely free elections should say their views and everyone should respect the Syrian peoples choice, he added.Brahimi was quoted by the website as saying that he sought Irans help and cooperation in bringing about stability and security in Syria.The international envoy is due to meet top security official Saeed Jalili on Monday before leaving for Baghdad later that day, the state televisions website said.The veteran troubleshooter is currently on a regional tour aimed at finding a solution to the 19-month conflict in Syria after Damascus rejected a UN call to implement a unilateral ceasefire.Iran, the main backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seeks a political solution to the conflict and supports the envoys mediation efforts.More than 33,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assads rule erupted in March last year, says the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.