Iran proposes establishment of transitional government in Syria

TEHRAN,Oct.16(MNA) - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian provided details of Iran’s new proposal on the crisis in Syria. During a joint press conference held by the UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran on Sunday, it was announced that Iran had put forward an unofficial written proposal to help resolve the Syrian crisis. Amir-Abdollahian said that the proposal was put forward during a foreign ministerial meeting of a contact group on Syria comprising Egypt, Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, which was held in New York on September 29. Brahimi was also presented with the proposal, Amir-Abdollahian stated. He added, “The spirit of the initiative focuses on a political solution to the problems in Syria. In the initiative, the first and most urgent measure is ceasefire and a halt to the violence and then the launch of a national dialogue between representatives of the Syrian people, between opposition members who truly represent the Syrian people and representatives of the Syrian government. Based on these negotiations, efforts should be made to hold elections with the establishment of a transitional government.” “It is natural that the transitional government will be established based on national negotiations between the government and representatives of the people and the opposition, and the last stage of this process would be the holding of a presidential election at a scheduled time,” the Iranian deputy foreign minister explained. He also said that Brahimi has described the steps stated in the initiative as “appropriate”, adding, “He is considering the stated ideas in his consultations with various countries.”