Ban Ki-moon discusses with Iranian official Tehran's ideas to solve Syria cricis

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed earlier today with the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African countries Hussein Amir Abdollahian the Syrian crisis and the Iranian regional ideas to solve it, the UN press office said in a statement. "They discussed the Syrian crisis and their shared commitment to alleviating the humanitarian situation and delivering assistance. They also discussed Iranian ideas concerning regional political initiatives that could accompany both the Geneva (II) international conference and the negotiations between the Syrian opposition and the Syrian Government," the statement added. The two officials met in Kuwait City on the eve of the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria. "They shared the conviction that there is no military solution to the crisis but only a political solution through dialogue," the statement stressed. Ban also welcomed the start on 20 January of the agreement reached this week between Iran and the major powers on its nuclear programme.