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Security Council Adopts Statement Demanding Syria Carry Out Annan Peace Plan
[An Nahar] The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday adopted a presidential statement demanding that Syria "immediately" implement a peace plan proposed by U.N.-Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
envoy Kofi Annan
...Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh and so far the worst Secretary-General of the UN. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for something or other that probably sounded good at the time. In December 2004, reports surfaced that Kofi's son Kojo received payments from the Swiss company Cotecna, which had won a lucrative contract under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. Kofi Annan called for an investigation to look into the allegations, which stirred up the expected cesspool but couldn't seem to come up with enough evidence to indict Kofi himself, or even Kojo...
and giving a veiled warning of international measures.

The statement, which has less weight than a formal resolution, says the Council will "consider further steps as appropriate" if Annan reports that the Damascus
...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world...
government is not cooperating.

Following intense negotiations between the major powers, Russia and China signed up to a Western-drafted text which calls on Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Sonny, disguised as Fredo, trying to be Mike...
to work toward a cessation of hostilities and a democratic transition.

The statement gives strong backing to Annan and the six-point plan he put to Assad in talks in Damascus earlier this month.

Annan's plan calls for a U.N.-supervised halt to fighting with the government pulling troops and heavy weapons out of protest cities, a daily two-hour humanitarian pause to hostilities and access to all areas affected by the fighting.

U.N. chief the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
said in a speech to a defense conference in the Indonesian capital that Annan, who held talks in Damascus on March 10-11 and briefed the Security Council last week, was "working tirelessly."

The prepared text of Ban's speech released to media in Jakarta said Annan was expected to return soon to Damascus. The line was removed from the speech as delivered, and Ban did not give any timeframe for a return.

Martin Nesirky, a front man for Ban, told Agence La Belle France Presse: "The joint special envoy's technical team is still in Damascus, and he is still waiting to hear more details from them before he decides on his travel plans."

Posted by: Fred 2012-03-22
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=341412