Kofi Annan resigns as envoy to Syria

4 August CNN

Kofi Annan, whose initiative to forge peace in war-ravaged Syria failed to take hold, said he has resigned as the U.N. and Arab League joint special envoy because of "increasing militarisation on the ground" and "the clear lack of unity" at the U.N. Security Council. Annan said he told U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil el Araby that he didn't want to renew his mandate when it expires August 31.

Syria state-run TV said the nation "expresses regret for the resignation," and Ban said he and el-Araby are looking for a successor to take on the "crucial peacemaking effort."In Geneva, Annan said he accepted the job despite its challenges, a task that some had dubbed "Mission Impossible." He said it was a "sacred duty" to bring about peace, end the killings and abuse of civilians, and set a course toward political change."The severity of the humanitarian costs of the conflict, and the exceptional threats posed by this crisis to international peace and security, justified the attempts to secure a peaceful transition to a political settlement, however daunting the challenge. The increasing militarisation on the ground and the clear lack of unity in the Security Council have fundamentally changed the circumstances for the effective exercise of my role," he said.

Obama authorised covert support for Syrian rebels, sources say "Yet the bloodshed continues, most of all because of the Syrian government's intransigence and continuing refusal to implement the six-point plan, and also because of the escalating military campaign of the opposition, all of which is compounded by the disunity of the international community.

At a time when we need when the Syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger-pointing and name calling in the Security Council."The nearly 17-month-long Syrian crisis started when the regime brutally cracked down on peaceful protesters in March 2011 and morphed into a nationwide uprising.

Among the five permanent members of the council, Russia and China have persistently disagreed with tough action against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad that is favoured by the United States, Britain and France.

The utter failure of world diplomacy and Syrian leaders to end the fighting has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe. Opposition groups say that more than 20,000 people have died, thousands have been imprisoned by the regime and tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes.

The conflict is now internationally regarded as a civil war between an armed resistance movement and al-Assad's regime.

"Without serious, purposeful and united international pressure, including from the powers of the region, it is impossible for me, or anyone, to compel the Syrian government in the first place, and also the opposition, to take the steps necessary to begin a political process.

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," Annan said.