UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan and Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi on Tuesday called on the international community to stand united in the face of the festering Syria crisis, the UN said. At a meeting in Geneva the peace envoy and Arabi "discussed the crisis in Syria and the international efforts to address it", said the United Nations information service's Corinne Momal-Vanian.
Annan gave the secretary general of the Arab League "an update on the mission currently in Damascus to urge immediate action by the Syrian government on Mr Annan's proposals, including a cessation of the violence and the killing, and agreement on the modalities of a monitoring mechanism". "Both men underscored the importance of a unified message from the international community," she added. Their meeting came as the divided UN Security Council negotiated a statement on the Syria crisis amid warnings from Russia that it will not accept any "ultimatum" against embattled President Bashar al-Assad.
Diplomats from the 15-nation council held the first talks Tuesday on a Western-drafted presidential statement seeking to reinforce international backing to Annan's efforts to halt the year-old bloodshed in Syria. Annan appealed for united Security Council support for his mission when he briefed envoys on Friday on the six-point plan he put to Assad during talks in Damascus. The plan includes a halt to the violence, humanitarian access, the release of detainees held over the past year and withdrawal of security forces from protest cities.
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