Annan in Baghdad for talks on Syrian crisis

International mediator Kofi Annan arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday for talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on the Syrian crisis, Annan's spokesman said.   
Annan, who earlier in the day held talks in Tehran with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, is on a regional tour that began with meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Monday.    

"The Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, arrived in Baghdad. He will hold talks with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on the crisis in Syria and its impact on the region," Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said in a statement.    

Annan normally briefs the U.N. Security Council in New York on the results of such trips by video-link from his Geneva base and diplomats said he was expected to do so again on Wednesday.

Earlier in Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced that the “unwise” intervention of others has caused the situation in Syria to remain critical, “despite the fact that the Syrian government has taken constructive steps to fulfill the aspirations of the Syrian people”.            
In a joint press conference with Annan, Salehi advised the region’s countries to be cautious especially media wise, in order to avoid making false decisions and measures which may "cause a disaster in the region leaving no room for benefiting the region nor the international community.”           

For his part, Annan said that the goal behind his talks in Tehran were to garner support from Iran in order to pave way for a peaceful solution. Annan hoped that this cooperation will yield positive results in terms of solving the crisis in Syria, thus preventing the area further downfalls.           

Annan stressed that disarming gangs is of utmost importance, adding that the Syrian government must be able to control the spread of weapons. Annan pointed out that the use of arms is not consistent with their search for a peaceful solution.            

Assad has suggested ending Syria's conflict on a step-by-step basis, starting with districts that have seen the worst violence, Annan said.       

"He made a suggestion of 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, step by step, build up and end the violence across the country," Annan said, according to a transcript provided by the United Nations.      
He declined to give details, saying the plan needed to be discussed with the Syrian opposition.

REUTERS/LBCI