Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called on Monday for quick progress in resolving the conflict in Syria during talks with UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, a statement from his office said.
Maliki reiterated calls for a "political solution" to the 19-month uprising, during the Baghdad meeting with veteran troubleshooter Brahimi.

"The prime minister warned of continuing conflict in Syria, and called for quick movement in order to maintain the lives of the Syrian brothers, and also to maintain the security and stability of the region," the statement from Maliki's office said. "Iraq backs all the efforts of the UN-Arab League envoy to Syria for the sake of reaching a political solution for the worsening crisis in Syria," it quoted Maliki as saying.

Brahimi also met Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on his brief trip to Baghdad, the latest stop on his second regional tour aimed at finding a solution to the conflict in Syria after Damascus rejected a UN call to implement a unilateral ceasefire.

The Algerian diplomat met with officials in Saudi Arabia and Turkey last week, and was in Tehran before arriving in Baghdad on Monday. Brahimi called earlier on Monday for a temporary ceasefire in Syria during the four-day Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday later this month.