International envoy meets Syrian president in Damascus

By the CNN Wire Staff

updated 7:04 AM EDT, Sat September 15, 2012

Lakhdar Brahimi replaces Kofi Annan as the U.N. envoy to Syria.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: President says other nations funding "terrorists"
• Lakhdar Brahimi makes his first visit to Damascus as U.N. envoy
• He replaced Kofi Annan, who resigned from the role in August
• He met with the president and also held "candid" talks with Syria's foreign minister

(CNN) -- President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday said he is committed to resolving the crisis in Syria as long as the peace efforts are conducted in "neutrality and independence," state media reported.

He addressed the conflict during a meeting in Damascus with Lakhdar Brahimi, the new international envoy to Syria.

"The success of the political work is linked to pressing the countries which fund and train the terrorists, confiscate weapons into Syria to stop such acts," the president said, according to SANA.

Brahimi replaced Kofi Annan as the U.N.-Arab League point man for the conflict. He highlighted the need for both sides to find a resolution, reiterating that the Syrian people are his first priority.

The envoy also held "candid and comprehensive" talks with Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, the United Nations said in a statement.

"Mr. Brahimi emphasized that, as he said before, he would spare no effort to help find a solution to the crisis," the statement read. "His only masters in this endeavor were the Syrian people, whose welfare and security were his prime concern."

Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister and U.N. envoy to Afghanistan, plans to meet opposition figures and other groups during his visit.

Brahimi was named to the post after Annan resigned in August, blasting the Syrian government for not implementing a cease-fire he negotiated in April and complaining about the "escalating military campaign" of the opposition.

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Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/15/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?eref=rss_latest

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