Baku, Azerbaijan, March 17
By Temkin Jafarov, Saeed Isayev - Trend:
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has met with U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi in Tehran today, Iranian Fars news agency reported on March 17.
The sides discussed the latest developments in Syria, and the possible ways of solving the long-lasting conflict.
Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Iran yesterday, and has also held meetings with other officials in Iran.
Iran's deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has previously said that Iran has constructed a 4-article plan to resolve the Syrian crisis whose main points will be discussed with Brahimi, before being presented to other involved sides.
Brahimi arrived in Tehran on Sunday afternoon for talks with Iranian officials on the Syrian crisis and immediately after his arrival had a meeting with the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani.
Brahimi, while in Tehran, is also scheduled to attend a lunch ceremony hosted by the deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, so that the two sides will discuss the general points of Iran's new plan to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Amir-Abdollahian said that the plan includes the realities of political resolving the Syrian crisis as well as territorial integrity and independence of the Syrian people in the framework of a democratic election.
During the conflict in Syria which began in March 2011, over 140, 000 people were killed and over 4.2 million have become refugees in Syrian territory as well as 2.3 million having fled to neighboring countries. The main burden of receiving refugees has lain on Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The total population of Syria before the conflict amounted to 20 million.