No Response Yet for UN Envoy on Syria Peace Proposals
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Jason Kempin/FilmMagic(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan may be waiting a long time before he gets a response from the Syrian government about his peace proposals.
Annan, now a U.N.-Arab League special envoy, held discussions with both President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition Syrian National Council on how to end the year-long crackdown that has left close to 8,000 people dead, most of them civilians.
Annan said he presented concrete proposals that he hopes both sides will take seriously. However, given the deep level of mistrust between the Syrian government and rebel forces, it won’t be shocking if Annan comes away disappointed.
Al-Assad has made no secret that he’s determined to wipe out anyone opposed to his 11-year autocratic regime by bombarding them militarily.
His enemies allege that the president’s efforts at introducing reform are illusionary, especially after a recent election that would keep al-Assad in power for another 14 years. Al-Assad has also scheduled parliamentary elections for the beginning of May, which are heavily stacked in his favor.
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