FNA- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari underlined that Tehran is doing its best to help the Syrian government and opposition groups to hold serious talks in the upcoming Astana meeting.

"Iran's four-article plan presented over two years ago was the Islamic Republic of Iran's latest plan which guarantees Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereignty as well as leaving everything and all affairs to the Syrian people's choice; we will pursue these ideas in the Astana conference," Jaberi Ansari said upon arrival in Kazakhstan on Saturday.

Stressing that no foreign party is entitled to decide for the Syrian people, he said, "Within this framework - the plan that Iran presented and Iran's overall views - we will strive to help political settlement of the crisis and serious talks between the Syrian sides in the Astana conference."

Negotiations to reach a resolution to the six-year war in Syria are due to begin in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on January 23 between the Syrian government and opposition.

Following last month's Syria cease-fire deal, the Astana meeting comes as part of ongoing efforts by Iran, Russia and Turkey to promote a political solution in war-torn Syria.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Friday that he hopes the militant groups attending peace talks next week in Kazakhstan would agree to lay down their arms in exchange for an amnesty deal.

Assad said in his interview with the Japanese TBS TV channel that the upcoming Astana talks�will be�about talking between the government and the terrorist groups in order to make ceasefire and to allow those terrorist groups to join the reconciliations in Syria.

�This is the only thing we can expect at this time,� he added, according to excerpts from the interview released by his office."

�Astana conference will focus initially or will make its priority as we see, is to reach a ceasefire, in order to protect the people�s lives and to allow humanitarian aid to reach different regions in Syria�, Assad said.

"It is not clear whether this conference will deal with any political talks because it is not clear who will take part in it so far,� he added.

The Syrian President has pointed out that the Astana conference will be in the form of talks between the government and armed groups in order to reach a cease-fire and allowing these groups to join the reconciliation in Syria, which means giving up their weapons and receive a pardon from the government, that is the only thing we can expect at this time�.