Iranian FM Meets Syrian President

Salehi arrived in Damascus from a visit to Egypt where he attended a meeting of the quadrilateral Contact Group on Syria.

In Damascus, the Iranian top diplomat held meetings with senior Syrian officials, including President Bashar al-Assad.

Prior to the meeting, Salehi had conferred with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mualem on regional, international issues as well as the latest developments in Syria.

In Cairo, Salehi met with Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi on the latest regional and international developments.

During the meeting also attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, the two sides discussed Syrian as well as regional and international developments.

On Monday evening, Iranian, Egyptian and Turkish foreign ministers attended a meeting of the Contact Group on Syria in a bid to find a peaceful solution to the current crisis in the Arab country.

Saudi Arabia was not represented in the meeting of the quartet group as his foreign minister is reportedly suffering an ailment.

In a joint press conference after tripartite talks with Amr and Ahmet Davutoglu, Salehi underlined the need for patience and awareness to restore calm in Syria, and said that only a solution agreed by all Syrians can soothe the crisis in the Arab country.

Salehi also said that members of the Contact Group on Syria share identical views about finding a solution to the current crisis in Syria.

"The common ground between us is more than our differences," Salehi told reporters.

The Iranian minister emphasized that there must be a Syrian solution and not one imposed from the outside.

During the press conference, Davutoglu called for a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis, adding that the group of four countries agreed on some common points.

Meantime, Kamel Amr said it was too early to devise a specific plan and stated that the talks would continue in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session, which opens in less than ten days.

The three foreign ministers also held a meeting with UN-Arab League Special Envoy on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi and Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi.
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