Shar’a wants talks without terms

Damascus: Syria’s Vice-President Farouk Al Shar’a said that an end to violence and national dialogue without preconditions are the basis for a settlement to the Syrian crisis, the pro-government Al Watan newspaper said.

Al Shar’a’s remarks came during a meeting with the chairman of Iran’s Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Al Shar’a’s unidentified assistant told the newspaper. The government of President Bashar Al Assad earlier denied a report by the Dubai-based Al Arabiya channel that Shar’a had defected.