DAMASCUS, (Reuters) – U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Syria on Thursday, his first trip to the country since taking up his post, a statement said.

Brahimi, a veteran Algerian diplomat who replaced former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan as envoy on Sept. 1, will meet Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem on Thursday and is due to meet President Bashar al-Assad for talks aimed at addressing the conflict.

“During his visit to Syria, Mr. Brahimi will hold talks with the government and with representatives of the Syrian opposition and civil society,” his spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said in a statement.