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Ban said Annan's first trip to Damascus since being named as the international envoy will last about 24 hours. "He will come out of Damascus Sunday, he will engage with opposition leaders outside of Syria," Ban told reporters, giving the first official confirmation that his predecessor as UN secretary general would meet face-to-face with Assad. The Syrian leader has launched a crackdown on protests which the UN says has left more than 7,500 dead in the past year. Ban said that Annan would go from Damascus to other countries in the region, but did not give details.