News
Kofi Annan announces resignation as UN special envoy to Syria
Rights activists say that more than 19,000 people have died since the popular uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad began in March, 2011.
“The bloodshed continues, most of all because of the Syrian government’s intransigence, and continuing refusal to implement the six-point plan, and also because of the escalating military campaign of the opposition, all of which is compounded by the disunity of the international community,” Mr. Annan told reporters in Geneva.
“At a time when we need, when the Syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger-pointing and name-calling in the Security Council.”
On June 30, Mr. Annan succeeded in getting the major powers on the council — including stalwart Syria allies Russia and China — to agree on a broad framework for a political transition in Syria. But the Security Council never formally endorsed the plan or acted on it, something that sorely disappointed the envoy and, he said, undermined his efforts.
Mr. Annan did not single out any country for criticism, but said, “Without serious, purposeful and united international pressure, including from the powers of the region, it is impossible for me, or anyone, to compel the Syrian government in the first place, and also the opposition, to take the steps necessary to begin a political process.”
“You have to understand: as an envoy, I can’t want peace more than the protagonists, more than the Security Council or the international community for that matter,” he said.
The White House said Mr. Annan’s resignation highlights the failure of Russia and China to support action against Mr. Assad.
