Kofi Annan visits Syria to discourage use of violence against rebels

UN envoy Kofi Annan met with Syrian President Bashar Assad on Saturday in Damascus during a high-profile international mission to mediate an end to the country’s yearlong conflict, even as activists reported fresh shelling by regime
forces that sent families fleeing for safety in the northern province of Idlib. Thick black smoke billowed over the area.

The state-run news agency SANA reported that talks between Assad and Annan had begun but there were no further details on the meeting, aimed at a halting violence that began with crackdowns on mostly peaceful protests but appears
to be transforming into a civil war.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the government was shelling the Idlib region after tanks moved toward the area in recent days. There was no independent confirmation, but smoke rose into the sky
behind some apartment buildings, according to an Associated Press team in the area.

Some families were seen fleeing the violence, clutching their belongings, or taking shelter. Military reinforcements have been pouring into Idlib for days, including dozens of tanks and armoured personnel carriers, activists said.
There have been concerns Idlib would be the focus of an offensive following the government recapture of the rebel-held district of Baba Amr in Homs after a bloody, month long siege.

The latest diplomatic mission to end the Syrian crisis has faced stumbling blocks even before it began, as the opposition rejected Annan’s calls for dialogue with Assad’s regime Friday as pointless and out of touch after a year
of bloodshed.

The dispute exposes the widening gap between opposition leaders who say only military aid can stop President Bashar Assad’s regime, and Western powers who fear more weapons will exacerbate the conflict. Annan’s visit marks a new
international push for peace nearly a year after protesters took to the streets to demand Assad’s ouster, inspired by Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

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Posted by Hamza Jahangir on Mar 10 2012. Filed under Latest News, USA, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry