Annan named UN-Arab envoy on Syria

Former UN head tasked with ending violence and finding political solution as “Friends of Syria” set to meet in Tunisia.

The United Nations and the Arab League have appointed Kofi Annan, a former head of the world body, to act as a joint special envoy on Syria, as international representatives gather in Tunisia to discuss measures to halt the escalating violence in the country.

Speaking on Friday, Annan said: “I look forward to having the full co-operation of all relevant parties and stakeholders in support of this united and determined effort… to help bring an end to the violence and human rights abuses, and promote a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis.”

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general and Nabil El-Araby, the head of the Arab League, said Annan had been tasked with finding an “inclusive political solution” and facilitating talks between the government and its opponents.

The Ghanaian, who along with the UN was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2001, has a track record as a mediator, having negotiated a power-sharing deal in Kenya to defuse post-election tensions there in 2008.

While UN action on Syria has been blunted by Russian and Chinese vetoes at Security Council level, the world body has toughened its stance against Damascus, with the General Assembly last week voting overwhelmingly to call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down and condemning violence in the country.

On Thursday a UN-appointed panel said it had submitted a list of Syrian military and political officials suspected of crimes against humanity to Navi Pillay, the UN’s top human rights official.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Pillay said the list, which could go as high as Assad, could be submitted to the International Criminal Court.

“Once I get [the list], we take these matters very seriously, and we will refer them to any credible investigation authorities,” said Pillay.

Red Cross awaits Syrian response

Friday’s “Friends of Syria” conference in Tunis takes place against the backdrop of the continuing crackdown against an anti-government uprising, with Homs enduring yet another day of heavy shelling.

Five people were reported killed by shelling in the Bab Amr neighbourhood on Friday morning, activists said, while the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had not received a response from the Syrian government on its request for a ceasefire to allow for the wounded to be evacuated and for humanitarian supplies to be delivered.

“We are more and more concerned over humanitarian needs that are increasing by the hour,” Hicham Hassan, ICRC spokesman said. “It is crucial that our initiative is met with a positive and concrete reaction urgently.”

A draft plan for the meeting, attended by diplomats from more than 60 countries, leaked to the media suggests the group will call on the Syrian government to halt the violence immediately.

It says humanitarian aid will be delivered to parts of Syria within 48 hours if Damascus stops its assault on civilian areas and allows safe corridors for the supplies to be transported.

The group will also enforce sanctions in an effort to force Assad to halt the violence. These include asset freezes, no more oil purchases, and stopping arms shipments into Syria.

Two Syrian opposition groups are expected to take part; the Syrian National Council, which is based outside Syria, and the National Co-ordination Committee, which is based inside Syria.

The NCC is a Syria-based group which has called for dialogue with Assad’s government, prompting criticism from some activists who say it is too close to Syrian authorities, while the Istanbul-based SNC, led by Syrian exiles who have rejected any negotiations with Assad, is seen as favoured by Western nations, analysts say.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Tunisia, said that members of the opposition were demanding the creation of “safe passages” to allow for humanitarian aid to reach stricken cities.

“But it is still not clear if that would be adopted in a final resolution because we have to understand that this would need the approval of the Syrian government, and it would need to have Russia’s approval in order to have a UN mandate, because it does involve some sort of military intervention.” she said. 

Concrete steps urged

Ashraf Al Moqdad, a member of the external Syrian opposition, told Al Jazeera that the opposition would not get any stronger unless concrete steps were taken against Assad.

“We want the threat of military power, we want some kind of real threat for Assad to take action,” he said from Tunis. “We have an entire population being displaced, we need something to stop the bombardment of Homs, Deraa, Idlib… He needs to be threatened by serious action.”

But Moncef Marzouki, Tunisia’s president, told Al Jazeera on the eve of the conference that arming the opposition was not an option, rejecting parallels with the international response to last year’s situation in Libya.

“We still believe we have to keep this revolution as peaceful as possible,” he said. “The Libyan scenario is not acceptable in Syria because the situation in Syria is much more complex than in Libya.”

The conference in Tunis will be marked by the absences of Russia, China and Lebanon, Syria’s neighbour which would need to consent to the creation of any humanitarian corridors from its territory into Homs.

Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said after meeting with Assad in Damascus that the president sounded confident and showed no sign of readiness to relinquish power.

Pushkov said the “Friends of Syria” conference should be called a conference of “enemies of Syria”, saying that supplies of weapons to the Syrian opposition would fuel civil war.