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UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could play a constructive role in a future transition in his country.

Brahimi is in Damascus on the latest leg of a regional tour to rally support for the upcoming Geneva talks. In an interview with a French magazine ahead of his trip, he said a deal on Syria\'s arsenal of chemical weapons has transformed Assad from Quote-- a pariah into a partner. On Sunday, the veteran Algerian diplomat was in Tehran, where he insisted on Iran\'s participation in the Geneva conference. However, Brahimi faces an uphill task in convincing the fractured foreign-backed opposition to attend the talks. And 19 militant groups have issued threats against those who plan to attend the Geneva conference. Brahimi says he fears Syria may become a failed state like Somalia if a peace agreement cannot be reached.