Germany's FM Steinmeier Wants Iran to Talk Syria Into Power Transition

Tehran should use its influence on Damascus to launch a political process of power transition in conflict-torn Syria, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The German top diplomat is set to meet his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani later in the day. Steinmeier’s two-day visit in Tehran aims to lessen tensions in Syria.

"I would like to see Iran using its influence to bring the Syrian government to the negotiating table, in order to discuss the beginning of the political transition process," Steinmeier told the Iran newspaper in an interview.

The German foreign minister added that resolving the long-standing civil war was critical for a successful fight against the Islamic State operating in Syria.

Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011. Syrian government forces are fighting against opposition factions and extremist groups, including ISIL radicals.

Unlike the West, Moscow maintains that Syrian President Bashar Assad is the legitimate authority in the country but has said that it is prepared to work with opposition factions to counter ISIL militants.