UN envoy urges Syria truce for Muslim holiday this month

BEIRUT - Agence France-Press

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (unseen) listens on as and International Peace envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi speaks during a joint press conference in Tehran , on October 14, 2012. AFP photo

International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi called on Monday for a temporary ceasefire in Syria during the four-day Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday later this month, a statement said.

"Lakhdar Brahimi has appealed to the Iranian authorities to assist in achieving a ceasefire in Syria during the forthcoming Eid al-Adha, one of the holiest holidays celebrated by the Muslims around the world," it said.
 
Brahimi "underlined that the crisis in Syria was getting worse every day and stressed the urgent need to stop the bloodshed," it continued. "He reiterated the call by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for a ceasefire and a halt to the flow of arms to both sides. A ceasefire, he said, would help create an environment that would allow a political process to develop." The call came as Brahimi concluded a trip to Tehran, where he met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and top security official Saeed Jalili.
 
The veteran troubleshooter is on his second regional tour aimed at finding a solution to the 19-month conflict in Syria after Damascus rejected a UN call to implement a unilateral ceasefire.
 
He met with officials in Saudi Arabia and Turkey last week and is due to visit Iraq later on Monday.