Syrian crisis: Iran asked to help secure ceasefire

Source: Guardian

Iran has been asked to persuade the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, to implement a ceasefire later this month in tandem with an appeal by the UN to halt the flow of weapons to both sides in the country's bloody conflict.

Lakhdar Brahimi, the envoy for the UN and Arab League, used a weekend visit to Iran, a loyal ally of Damascus, to appeal for help in securing a ceasefire to mark Eid al-Adha, the four-day Muslim holiday later this month. In Baghdad on Monday he called on the Iraqi government to use its influence, while Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, called for a speedy "political solution".

Brahimi said a ceasefire would "help create an environment that would allow a political process to develop", said his spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi. But Fawzi denied a report that plans were afoot to send a 3,000-strong UN peacekeeping force to Syria, drawn from an existing UN contingent in south Lebanon.

EU officials dismissed the idea as far-fetched, because it would first require a durable ceasefire and moves towards a political transition — both of which have proved elusive over the 19 months of the crisis.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/15/syrian-crisis-iran-help-ceasefire