Annan quits as Obama signs order on Syria
PHOTO | AFP
Kofi Annan, Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria speaks on Syria at a press conference in Geneva to announce his resignation on August 02, 2012
What you need to know:
- Envoy says efforts were not matched by any of the parties he was dealing with
GENEVA, Thursday
Kofi Annan said today he had quit as UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, complaining of a lack of support and the increasing militarisation of the conflict.
“I did not receive all the support that the cause deserved,” Annan told a hastily scheduled press conference in Geneva.
He added that “continuous finger-pointing and name-calling” in the UN Security Council had hindered his attempts to implement the so-called six-point peace plan.
“The increasing militarisation on the ground and the lack of unanimity in the Security Council fundamentally changed my role,” the former UN chief said.
He added that some people called his task ‘Mission Impossible’, but he said he accepted it “for I believed it was a sacred duty to do whatever was in my power to help the Syrian people find a peaceful solution to this bloody conflict ... however daunting the challenge”.
Mr Annan said his efforts were not matched by any of the parties he was dealing with to find a solution to the conflict.
“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.
“I have therefore informed the secretary-general of the UN and secretary-general of the Arab League today that I do not intend to continue my mission when my mandate expires at the end of August.”
Predicting that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would go “sooner or later”, Annan did not rule out his successor having more luck or success, despite his warning there was “no plan B”.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has signed a covert document authorising US support for Syrian rebels, reports said yesterday.
The directive was contained in a “finding” — a device authorising clandestine action by the Central Intelligence Agency, NBC and CNN said, citing unidentified sources.
White House officials declined to comment on the reports but did not specifically rule out the idea that Washington was providing more intelligence support to anti-Assad forces than had previously been made public. (AFP)
