DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Iran's foreign minister, who negotiated his country's nuclear deal with world powers, discussed ways of ending Syria's civil war with President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Wednesday, as attacks surged around the Syrian capital, killing at least 36 people and wounding dozens. According to Syria's state news agency, SANA, Zarif stressed that any solution for the crisis should be "far from any foreign intervention and in a way that preserves the country's territorial unity" and independence. The deal has opened diplomatic channels between Saudi Arabia and Assad's Iran-backed government, although the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, denied on Tuesday his country was wavering in its position that Assad should have no future role in Syria. Iran is one of Assad's strongest supporters and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to back government forces. Regional and international players, including Russia and the United States, may be more inclined to compromise on ways to end the conflict, having become more convinced that fighting the Islamic State group overtakes the ouster of Assad as a priority. "While Iranian officials have always stated they are not wedded to individuals in Syria, and that their interest lies in preventing regime implosion, they still don't see a way of preserving the regime institutional infrastructure without Assad," said Randa Slim, a director at the Washington-based Middle East Institute. Al-Manar and Syrian activists also said that a 48-hour cease-fire between Hezbollah fighters and rebel and militant groups started Wednesday morning in Zabadani, a Syrian town near the Lebanese border, as well as in Foua and Kfarya, two Shiite villages in northern Syria's Idlib province.
Deadly Attacks Surge As Iran's Foreign Minister Visits Syria
By ALBERT AJI and ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press, San Francisco Chronicle: World
Thu, 08/13/2015 - 12:52am
Topics: ap president bashar assad damascus sana zarif saudi arabia assad's iran-backed adel iranian-backed lebanese regional russia united states islamic state while iranian randa slim washington-based middle east institute al-manar zabadani foua kfarya shiite syria iran assad saudi iran assad's hezbollah attacks surge country militant ways deal fighters group wednesday regime government
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