UN-Arab envoy to head Damascus after Tehran tour

UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi flew in to Beirut on Monday on his way to Damascus to try to whip up support for a peace conference on Syria, airport sources said.

 Brahimi arrived from Tehran, where he said it was "necessary" for Iran, a key ally of the Damascus regime, to take part in an international peace conference aimed at ending Syria's two-and-a-half-year conflict.

 Brahimi was to travel overland to Damascus, making his first visit to Syria since last December.