Kofi Anan Resigns: United Nations and Arab League Envoy to Syria Resigns

On Thursday, the United Nations and Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan announced his resignation due to rising complications with his six-point peace plan in solving the Syria crisis. Annan told CNN News that "increasing militarization on the ground" and "the clear lack of unity with in the UN Security Council," have pushed him to bow down from the mission.

UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon made the announcement Thursday, after receiving a letter from Annan notifying the UN that he does not wish to renew his duties as the Syria Envoy on the expiration of his contract on August 31. Ban announced "Kofi Annan deserves our profound admiration for the selfless way in which he has put his formidable skills and prestige to this most difficult and potentially thankless of assignments," as reported by CNNnews.com.

According to BBC News, the Syrian state-run news agency released a statement saying that it "expresses regret for the resignation," and will start the search for the "crucial peacemaking effort."

Annan was named UN-Arab League envoy to Syria on February 23. Annan set up a six-point peace plan that was supposed to resolve the Syrian crisis. Unfortunately, it failed to even abate the situation. Gradually there were growing tensions within the United Nations' Security Council on the handling of the situation, while Annan and his supporters maintained that the UN should work to implement the plan, other states were hinting to futility of the plan. Also within the council, China and Russia (among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) often prevented any action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"Yet the bloodshed continues, most of all because of the Syrian government's intransigence and continuing refusal to implement the six-point plan, and also because of the escalating military campaign of the opposition, all of which is compounded by the disunity of the international community. At a time when we need -- when the Syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger-pointing and name-calling in the Security Council," said Annan to CNN News.

It's been 17-months since the Syrian crisis broke out, with growing violence between the rebels and al-Assad's government. The civil war has resulted in as many as 20,000 civilian casualties.

Annan told BBC News, "When the Syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger-pointing and name-calling in the Security Council...Syria can still be saved from the worst calamity - if the international community can show the courage and leadership necessary to compromise on their partial interests for the sake of the Syrian people - for the men, women and children who have already suffered far too much."

UN Secretary General maintains that Annan's six-point plan is the only way to achieve peace in the region. There was no mention of who might replace Annan. 

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