Al-Ibrahimi: General Situation, Decrease in Violence to Be Discussed

 DAMASCUS, (S.T) _ Lakhdar Al-Ibrahimi, the UN Envoy to Syria, arrived here Friday noon.

Al-Ibrahimi, in an arrival statement, said that he would discuss the general situation in Syria with the Government, Political Parties, and Civil Society.

”We would discuss the decreasing of existent violence and the possibility of a complete halt to violence on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.” Al-Ibrahimi added.

UN Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Al-Ibrahimi is expected to brief the Syrian officials on the results of his recent visits to a number of countries including those of influence on armed terrorist groups.

Spokesman of the Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry, Dr.  Jihad Makdissi, told AFP on Thursday that “Al-Ibrahimi will meet with Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Saturday morning.”

Damascus is  the latest leg of Al-Ibrahimi tour which included  Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon.

On the penultimate leg of his tour (Beirut), Al-Ibrahimi warned on Wednesday that the Syria’s conflict could set the entire region ablaze.

On October 15, Al-Ibrahimi called for a temporary ceasefire during the four-day Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday starting on October 26.

In this context, the local “al-Baath” newspaper reported on Thursday that “The envoy has focused his efforts on “convincing all parties to accept a temporary and limited objective as a first step towards a solution, and as a litmus test of all parties’ intentions.”

 It added that al-Ibrahimi is making a thorough and prudent effort to overcome the obstacles (in implementing) a diplomacy of small steps.

B. Qaddour/ M.A. Al-Ibrahim