The Secretary-General met today in Kuwait City with the Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African countries of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, on the margins of the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria.

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 international conference and the negotiations between the Syrian opposition and the Syrian Government. They shared the conviction that there is no military solution to the crisis but only a political solution through dialogue.

The Secretary-General also welcomed the start on 20 January of the agreement on Iran's nuclear programme.