Russia Highlights Iran's Peace Efforts In Syria To Int'l Mediators

Moscow, Dec 30, IRNA – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday highlighted Iranian peace efforts in Syria to international mediators, Russian Foreign Ministry said. Speaking after a meeting with the UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, Lavrov said there exists still the chance for settlement of Syrian issues through political dialogue. He said conditions in Syria are still convulsive and clashes are on the rise as the violence takes toll on civilians. Iranian six-point peace plan has called for a democratic process in Syria after a ceasefire be brokered by the United Nations and form national reconciliation government to hold free and fair Senate election. The Senate has been envisaged to draft a new Constitution paving the way for transition of power after presidential election slated for 2014. Action Group members include Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, Ban Ki-moon and Nabil Elaraby, respectively, the foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – as well as the Turkish Foreign Minister, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Foreign Ministers of Iraq, president of the Summit of the League of Arab States; Kuwait, president of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States and Qatar, president of the Follow-up Committee on Syria of the League of Arab States./end