Annan and Al-Assad Discuss Steps to End Syria Violence

Kofi Annan meets with Bashar al-Assad

Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has suggested ending the Syrian conflict on a step-by-step basis. Al-Assad plans to start with districts that have seen the worst of the uprising. The UN-Arab League envoy, Kofi Annan met with al-Assad in Damascus on Monday to start with diplomatic round to try to revive his dying plan for ending Syria’s 16-month-old crisis.

Annan said that Assad had suggested “building an approach from the ground up in some of the districts where we have extreme violence – to try and contain the violence in those districts and, stet by step, build and end the violence across the country.” Annan said that he needed to discuss the proposal of al-Assad with the Syrian opposition.

On the other hand Annan is seeking the support of Iran to help solve the crisis in Syria as opponents of Bashar al-Assad called on Russia to help with a power transfer in the troubled country. Annan has met with the Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and the country’s chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili in the capital of Tehran. Salehi stated that if no real effort is made to solve the crisis it could spread around the region.

Meanwhile the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov said that Moscow has made a proposal for an international meeting at Geneva on June 30. So far several international powers agreed in Geneva that a transitional government should be set up in Syria. The question still remains what role would play president Bashar al-Assad. (AV)