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Syria peace envoy Annan to brief UN
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The UN and 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... 's envoy on Syria, 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..., will brief the Security Council next Monday after Damascus ...Home to a staggering array of terrorist organizations... said it accepted his proposals for peace, the ex-UN chief's front man said. Annan will not travel to Tehran next week, his front man Ahmad Fawzi told AFP Wednesday after Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi had earlier said the ex-UN chief "is probably coming to Tehran on Monday". Annan will be "briefing the Security Council Monday by video from Geneva," said Fawzi, who added Annan would not travel to Iran next week. Syria has accepted a proposal crafted by Annan to end the bloodshed in the country, although Western states have expressed scepticism about the Damascus regime's sincerity. Annan's plan calls for a commitment to stop all armed violence, a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire and media access to areas affected by the fighting, which has killed almost 10,000 people according to monitors. The plan also calls for an inclusive Syrian-led political process, the right to demonstrate, and the release of people jugged arbitrarily. Annan has discussed the plan in recent days with two key Syrian allies, China and Russia. Russia urged the Syrian opposition on Wednesday to "follow the example" of the Damascus regime and support Annan's mediation efforts, while China called on both parties to honour their commitments. Damascus blasts kill 27 as Syria gears up for monitors Germany's foreign minister called for urgent implementation of the plan and said the regime would be judged on deeds, not words. "The six-point plan by Kofi Annan is supported by the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... Security Council. It is supported by Germany," Guido Westerwelle said at a news conference with Paleostinian prime minister Salam Fayyad ...Fayyad's political agenda holds that neither violence nor peaceful negotiations have brought the Paleostinians any closer to an independent state. The alternative to both, violent negotiations, doesn't seem to be working too well, either... "We haven't yet had an official response from the Syrian regime. But I want to stress that for us, it is actions, not words that count -- nor declarations of intent." Iran's Salehi, hosting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran, said that "with the mission of Mr Kofi Annan and with the support of Turkey, Arab nations and the UN we hope there will be a way out for the Syrian issue." Posted by: Fred 2012-03-29 |
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