WORLD_ Annan leaves Syria as killings continue

Annan leaves Syria as killings continue

By foreign affairs editor Peter Cave
Updated March 12, 2012 08:18:29
ABC

Former United Nations (UN) secretary general Kofi Annan has left Syria without any deal to end the bloody year-long conflict.

Mr Annan, who was there as a special envoy from the UN and the Arab League, gave little away when he spoke to reporters briefly after his second round of talks with president Bashar al-Assad.

He said the killing, misery and abuse had to stop and that would allow time for a political settlement.

"I presented a set of proposals, concrete proposals, to the president which will have a real impact on the ground once it is agreed," he said.

There was no immediate response from Mr Assad.


After the first day of talks on Saturday the official Syrian News Agency quoted him as saying that Syria was ready to bring success to any "honest bid" to find a solution.

But it also said Mr Assad said no dialogue or political process could succeed as long as there were "terrorist groups" working to sow chaos and destabilise the country by attacking civilians and soldiers.

The country's main opposition groups have rejected the prospect of talks with the Assad regime, but Mr Annan was publicly undeterred by the lack of any apparent progress.

"It's going to be difficult but we have to have hope. I am optimistic. I am optimistic for several reasons," he said.

"First of all I've been here for a very short period. Almost every Syrian I've met wants peace. They want the violence to stop."

Mr Annan, a Ghanaian, added: "I have urged the president to read the old African proverb 'you can't turn the wind so turn the sail'."

Violence continues
Mr Annan has now flown to Qatar, which advocates a military solution to the violence, to report back on his progress to the Arab League.

His mission to Syria coincided with a regime offensive against opposition strongholds in the north-west, after insurgent strongholds in the city of Homs were recaptured last week.

Three soldiers and a civilian were killed in fighting in the village of Janoudiya in Idlib province on Sunday morning, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.


Its British-based director, Rami Abdulrahman, said Idlib city was quieter after Saturday's tank-led assault, suggesting outgunned rebels had withdrawn or decided not to confront the army.

The Observatory said 39 civilians, including 25 in Idlib province, were killed on Saturday, along with 39 rebels and 20 government soldiers, giving an overall death toll of 98.

International rifts have paralysed action on Syria, with Russia and China opposing Western and Arab calls for Mr Assad, who inherited power from his father nearly 12 years ago, to quit.

Syrians involved in a popular uprising against Mr Assad say there can be no meaningful dialogue with a leader who has inflicted such violence and suffering on his own people.

Tags: world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, syrian-arab-republic
First posted March 12, 2012 07:47:57



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