SYRIA – NEWS
KOFI ANNAN GIVES UP ON “MISSION IMPOSSIBLE” AND WESTERN NATIONS STEP-UP “NON-LETHAL ASSISTANCE” TO THE FSA:TIMELINE – 3rd AUGUST 2012 11.33 GMT:
Kofi Annan, the joint UN and Arab League Special Envoy on Syria, yesterday threw in the towel and resigned from his thankless job of trying to implement a 6 point “peace plan” that no-one really wanted.
Kofi Annan Resigns As UN Syria Envoy
In his resignation speech, Annan blamed the intransigence of the Assad regime and the “escalating military campaign of the opposition – all of which is compounded by the disunity of the international community”.
Referring to what he called “Mission Impossible”, Annan, speaking from the UN’s European headquarters in Geneva, said that his frustration was compounded while, “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”.
He will stand down when his mandate runs out at the end of August.
“Finger-pointing” continued at the UN in New York yesterday, the Russians blaming the West for the failure of the “peace plan” by “arming the rebels” and the Western countries blaming China and Russia for continually blocking resolutions on Syria in the Security Council.
Ban Ki-Moon, the UN General Secretary, said he regretted Annan’s decision but would seek to find a replacement. The full text of Kofi Annan’s resignation statement is HERE:
Both the US and UK have both stated since Annan’s announcement that they will step-up supplies of “non lethal assistance” to Syria’s Opposition.
FSA CLAIM TO CONTROL “50%” OF ALEPPO BUT ASSAD’S ARMY GEARING UP FOR ANOTHER BIG ASSAULT:
Meanwhile in Syria itself fighting and killing continued. Around Aleppo there are signs that Assad’s army is gearing up for an even bigger assault on FSA areas that ever before and skirmishes and shelling were reported throughout Thursday, including strikes on residential buildings by fighter jets.
