Annan arrives in Iran for talks on Syria: report

TEHRAN: International envoy Kofi Annan arrived in Tehran on Monday from Syria for talks with the Islamic republic's top security official and foreign minister, the Arabic-language Al-Alam television reported.

Before leaving Damascus, Annan said he had agreed with President Bashar al-Assad on a new political "approach" to end Syria's nearly 16-month-old conflict, and that he would put this to the rebels.

The UN and Arab League envoy is stepping up efforts to halt the carnage in Syria, which monitors say has cost more than 17,000 lives since it erupted in mid-March last year. (AFP)