UN envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi urged a ceasefire in Syria during the upcoming four-day holiday of Eid al-Adha.

UN envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi urged a ceasefire in Syria during the upcoming four-day holiday of Eid al-Adha.

"Brahimi has appealed to the Iranian authorities to assist in achieving a ceasefire in Syria during the forthcoming Eid al-Adha, one of the holiest holidays celebrated by the Muslims around the world," a statement from the envoy said.

The envoy was in Iraq on Monday after holding talks in Iran.   Late last week, Brahimi visited Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

"He reiterated the call by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for a ceasefire and a halt to the flow of arms to both sides. A ceasefire, he said, would help create an environment that would allow a political process to develop."

Turkey said on Sunday that it had banned Syrian civilian aircraft from its airspace, mirroring a similar move by Damascus, as tensions between the neighbors soared over Ankara's confiscation of a cargo of radar equipment from a civilian flight from Moscow last week.