‘Syria peace plan must be implemented’

Annan’s spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, said in Geneva on Monday that the international community must ensure that the six-point peace plan for Syria is implemented by both sides.

“He feels that perhaps the time has come, or is approaching, when the international community has to review the situation, the crisis in Syria, and decide what needs to be done to ensure implementation of the six-point plan,” he told Reuters.

“The Special Envoy, Mr. Annan, and many others have warned of Syria descending into a bloody, protracted sectarian civil war. We may be there already,” he said, adding, “We hope for the sake of the Syrian people we’re not there yet. But this is certainly a very unfortunate and bloody scenario that we are witnessing.”

Annan, who is scheduled to brief the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly in New York on Thursday, will press his peace plan as “the only option on the table,” Fawzi said.

He described the massacre of over 100 people in the town of Houla on May 25 as a turning point in Syria’s 15-month crisis.

Annan’s six-point plan, effective from mid-April, calls for the establishment of a cease-fire between the government and the opposition and also says humanitarian groups should be allowed to have access to the population, detainees should be released, and a political dialogue should be started.

But, the plan was seriously undermined by the Houla massacre.

Earlier in the day, armed anti-government groups announced they are no longer bound by the cease-fire.

The unrest in Syria began in March 2011, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters, but Damascus blames “outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

AS/HGL

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes