REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held talks with former British prime minister Tony Blair on Wednesday evening to discuss a solution to a protracted Syrian conflict, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.

The visiting Blair was concerned about the Syrian conflict which has shown no signs of abating, Natalegawa said following the meeting at the presidential office. At the 30-minute meeting, Blair underscored the need to find an immediate solution to the protracted conflict, he said.

"What`s likely is a form of solution which may not be 100 percent optimum. However, there must be at least a kind of framework to settle it," he said.

According to Natalegawa, Blair who is now the special envoy of the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators has to come up with a proper formula to help settle the Syrian conflict. Blair expressed hope that Indonesia would play a bigger role in helping resolve the Syrian conflict.

"He is convinced that Indonesia, with its influence and capacity, can continue to contribute to the settlement of the issue in the Middle East," he said.

At the meeting, President Yudhoyono stressed three main principles with regard to the Syrian conflict. "They are putting an immediate halt to violence, extending humanitarian aid, and pursuing political process," he said.

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