Annan’s Peace Mission ‘Last Chance’ for Syria

Dmitry Medvedev and Kofi Annan

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated the initiative of Kofi Annan represented the last chance for avoiding a civil war in Syria and offered the UN-Arab League envoy Moscow’s full support.

While Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister said “… He called on the special envoy to work actively toward that aim with both the authorities and the opposition.” Lavrov said that in order to support Annan’s mission, nations must not interfere in Syria affair or taking sides in the confrontation between the government and the opposition.

The initiative calls for Assad to withdraw troops and heavy weapons from several cities, also a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire along with access to all areas affected by the bombings and a UN-supervised halt to all confrontations.

Annan will carry with him the Bashar al-Assad’s answer to a peace plan under which Syria would begin a “political transition” to a representative of the government.

(MS)