ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura arrived in Tehran Tuesday for talks on the Syrian war with Iranian officials, ahead of peace talks that resume in Geneva this week. Iran’s Press TV reported that de Mistura, who arrived from talks in Damascus with Syrian officials, will meet in Iran with Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials. De Mistura arrived in Tehran just a day before indirect talks between the Syrian government and opposition are to resume in Geneva. The sticking point in the talks has been the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While the Western-backed Syrian opposition says Assad must step down before a transitional government can be established, Iran and Russia remain stand firmly behind him. A top Iranian advisor said this week that Assad would remain until the end of his term -- in 2021 -- warning that any demands for his removal would amount to a crossing of Tehran’s “red line.” “Iran believes that the government of Bashar al-Assad should remain in power until the end of the presidency term and the removal of Assad is a red line for us,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, who is advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia and Iran are both militarily involved in Syria: Moscow continues with a scaled-down air campaign that it began in late September in support of Assad, and Iran has troops supporting the beleaguered president. Iran’s military reported on Monday that four Iranian Army soldiers were killed in Syria, a mere week after Tehran said it was deploying an elite brigade of the regular army there.
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