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UN Envoy Brahimi Says Has Syria Peace Plan

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The UN and Arab League’s peace envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said on Sunday he hoped the international community would accept a new plan to end the 21-month civil war in the Middle East country, Egyptian media reported.

MOSCOW, December 30 (RIA Novosti) - The UN and Arab League’s peace envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said on Sunday he hoped the international community would accept a new plan to end the 21-month civil war in the Middle East country, Egyptian media reported.

"I have discussed this plan with Russia and Syria,” Brahimi said in Cairo after talks with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi. “I think this proposal could be adopted by the international community.”

"There is a proposal for a political solution based on the Geneva declaration foreseeing a ceasefire, forming a government with complete prerogatives and a plan for parliamentary and presidential elections," he said, citing a statement issued after a June meeting of world powers.

He gave no further details of the peace plan. A previous UN peace plan collapsed just days after coming into force in April.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov tweeted on Sunday that a meeting between Russia, the US and Brahimi could talk place in January.

Brahimi also warned the situation in Syria “is very bad and getting worse by the day.” His comments came as opposition activists said almost 400 people had been killed in fighting across Syria on Sunday. This would be the highest death toll since the start of the conflict, which has so far claimed over 44,000 lives, according to opposition groups.

Brahami is also set to meet Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Sunday.

The UN envoy's comments came a day after he warned in Moscow following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Syria faced a descent into “hell,” if a political solution to the crisis was not found soon.

Lavrov said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would not voluntarily step down, but that a negotiated settlement to the fighting was possible.

"The confrontation is escalating. But we agree the chance for a political solution remains," Lavrov said.

Russia has faced heavy international criticism over its refusal to back UN sanctions against Syria, its last ally in the Arab world, over what it called the pro-rebel bias of the proposed resolutions.

But Moscow has denied it is backing Assad and says it is concerned that the Syrian president’s enforced departure would only worsen the conflict.

 

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