NEW YORK � Even as Russia�s entry this week into an air campaign in Syria cast a shadow over diplomatic proceedings at the 70th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly, some global players � boosted by the rare diplomatic success of the Iran nuclear deal reached in July � are looking to the international group that negotiated it as a possible format to ramp up diplomacy to try to find a way out of the Syrian civil war.

he possibility of using the P5+1 format or a variation to tackle the Syrian crisis and other regional issues was discussed at a meeting of the P5+1 � the permanent five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany � and Iran foreign ministers in New York on Sept. 29, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told journalists.

�We have had some discussion on Syria � especially on the fact that we managed to achieve something � so important for the world through dialogue and diplomacy in this format,� Mogherini told journalists at the UN in New York following the P5+1 Iran ministerial meeting.

�This could be also a useful format for other things,� Mogherini said. �And obviously we will explore [this more] in the next days.�

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