Kofi Annan Syrian peace plan
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Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...
peace plan for Syria or the six-point peace plan for Syria was launched in March 2012 by the
Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
and the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
(UN), when the violent Syrian conflict or civil war had raged for a year. After the initiators had believed for some days end of March and beginning of April that the Syrian government was willing to comply with the peace plan, new signs of war and statements of politicians gradually cast discouraging shadows over those hopes. By the first of May 2012, the UN had to admit that the peace plan was in dire straits. Heavy government violence on 25 May, and the promise of the
Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...
(FSA) on 1 June to resume its ‘defensive operations’, made clear that this peace initiative had, for the time being, run aground. Several new peace initiatives would follow, recently the attempt in 2012–2013 at a
Geneva II Middle East peace conference The Geneva II Conference on Syria (also called Geneva II Middle East peace conference or simply Geneva IIUN News Center. ''Preparations for upcoming Syria peace conference 'on track,’ says UN chief''. "The goal of the so-called "Geneva II" ...
and the Russian initiative in November 2013 for (peace) talks in Moscow.


Chronology


UN-Arab League peace plan

On 23 February 2012, the evening before an international “
Friends of Syria The Group of Friends of the Syrian People (sometimes Friends of Syria Group, Friends of the Syrian People Group, Friends of Democratic Syria or simply Friends of Syria) is an international diplomatic collective of countries and bodies convening ...
” conference organised by the
Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
in
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
, the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
and the Arab League together appointed
Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...
as their envoy to Syria.Syria unrest: Opposition seeks arms pledge.
''BBC News'', 24 February 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
70 nations were present on the conference, Russia and China not among them; Syria called those nations attending “historic enemies of the Arabs”. On 16 March, Kofi Annan submitted a six-point peace plan to the UN
Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...
(see below), asking the Syrian government “to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people”, cease hostilities, pullback military concentrations from towns, while simultaneously the Envoy would seek similar commitments from the Syrian opposition and other “elements”."Kofi Annan's six-point plan for Syria"
, ''
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
'', 27 March 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
On 24 March 2012, Kofi Annan flew to
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
in an effort to secure Russian support for his plan.Syria’s armed opposition chiefs form military council to unite ranks
, ''alarabiya'', 24 March 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.


Presumed compliance of government and opposition

Sources like Al Jazeera and Reuters announced that Syrian president
Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...
on 27 March accepted the six-point peace plan"Text of Annan's six-point peace plan for Syria"
, ''Reuters'', 4 April 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
and would be working to implement it. ''The New York Times'' and others announced that on 2 April the Syrian government promised to withdraw its security forces and heavy weaponry from major population centers and complete that withdrawal on 10 April.
''The New York Times'', 3 April 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
However, Syrian opposition activists reported heavy Syrian army shelling in the cities of
Hama , timezone = EET , utc_offset = +2 , timezone_DST = EEST , utc_offset_DST = +3 , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , ar ...
and
Homs Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...
on 3 April. The BBC reported heavy rocket shelling in Homs on 4 April. Retrieved 28 October 2013. On 5 April 2012, Annan told the UN General Assembly that the cease-fire deadline for the Syrian government would be 6 a.m. local time on Tuesday 10 April, and for the rebels 6 a.m. on 12 April.Syria: Caveat in cease-fire compliance.
''United Press International'', 6 April 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
After that UN Assembly meeting, Syrian UN ambassador Jaafari however said “a crystal-cut commitment” in writing from the U.S. France, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to stop aiding rebel fighters was “an integral part of the understanding” between
Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...
and Annan. This announcement denied Syria's presumed commitment to withdraw its forces from the cities by 10 April; both Annan and the U.S. State Department had no reaction on it. Annan did say, 5 or 6 April, that if the cease-fire was successful, an unarmed U.N. monitoring mission (see subsection directly below) of some 200 to 250 observers could be brought into Syria. And even on 14 April, the UN Security Council meeting adopting Resolution 2042 stated that the Envoy (= mr. Annan) assessed that “as of 12 April, the parties appeared to be observing a cessation of fire”.Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 2042 (2012), authorizing Advance Team to monitor ceasefire in Syria
, press release Security Council 14 April 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2013.


United Nations Supervision Mission

The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) was the unarmed
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare. Within the United N ...
mission in
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, set up in April 2012. It was commanded by
Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...
major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Robert Mood Lieutenant General Robert Mood (born 8 December 1958) is the President of Norwegian Red Cross and a retired Norwegian Army officer. He is the former head of the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), Inspector General of the Norwegi ...
. Although observers remained in the country, Mood suspended their mission on June 16, 2012, mentioning "escalating violence." Observers would conduct no further patrols and stay in their current positions until the suspension was lifted.


Conceding failure

Hervé Ladsous Hervé Ladsous (born 1950) is the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. He was appointed to this position by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 2 September 2011, following Alain Le Roy. Ladsou ...
, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said on 1 May that both the Syrian government and the opposition were violating the cease-fire. On 25 May 2012, in two opposition-controlled villages in the
Houla The Houla Region or Houla Plain ( ar, الحولة ''Al-Ḥūla'') is an area consisting of three villages in the Homs Governorate of central Syria, northwest of the city of Homs. The biggest village in the Houla region had 20,041 inhabitants in ...
region in central Syria, 49 children, 34 women and 25 men were killed in what is called the
Houla massacre The Houla massacre ( ar, مجزرة الحولة) was a mass murder of civilians by Syrian government forces that took place on May 25, 2012, in the midst of the Syrian Civil War, in the town of Taldou, in the Houla Region of Syria, a string ...
. The UN, after investigations, holds Syrian troops and pro-government militia responsible. On 1 June, the FSA announced that it was resuming “defensive operations”.Deadly violence flares in Syria as EU-Russia seek solutions
. ''Alarabiya'', 4 June 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
Around 2–3 June, president al-Assad in response vowed to crush an anti-government uprising. These events seemed to mark the failing of this Kofi Annan peace initiative.


Six-point peace plan

The peace plan, reportedly accepted by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on 27 March 2012, calls on the Syrian authorities to: :''(1) commit to work with the Envoy in an inclusive Syrian-led political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people, and, to this end, commit to appoint an empowered interlocutor when invited to do so by the Envoy; :''(2) commit to stop the fighting and achieve urgently an effective United Nations supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians and stabilise the country.'' :''To this end, the Syrian government should immediately cease troop movements towards, and end the use of heavy weapons in, population centres, and begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centres.'' :''As these actions are being taken on the ground, the Syrian government should work with the Envoy to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism. '' :''Similar commitments would be sought by the Envoy from the opposition and all relevant elements to stop the fighting and work with him to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism;'' :''(3) ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and to this end, as immediate steps, to accept and implement a daily two hour humanitarian pause and to coordinate exact time and modalities of the daily pause through an efficient mechanism, including at local level;'' :''(4) intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons, including especially vulnerable categories of persons, and persons involved in peaceful political activities, provide without delay through appropriate channels a list of all places in which such persons are being detained, immediately begin organizing access to such locations and through appropriate channels respond promptly to all written requests for information, access or release regarding such persons;'' :''(5) ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists and a non-discriminatory visa policy for them;'' :''(6) respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully as legally guaranteed.''


Resignation Mr. Annan, succession Mr. Brahimi

On 2 August 2012, Kofi Annan announced to step down as UN-Arab League mediator in Syria on 31 August. Annan pointed to the Syrian government's refusal to implement the six-point plan, the escalating military campaign of the Syrian opposition and the lack of unity in the
UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...
as causes for the bloodshed to continue. Both Russia and the Syrian government said they regretted Annan's decision to quit.Annan quits as Syria peace envoy; …
, alarabiya, 2 August 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
On 17 August 2012,
Lakhdar Brahimi Lakhdar Brahimi (Algerian pronunciation: ; ar, الأخضر الإبراهيمي; '; born 1 January 1934) is an Algerian United Nations diplomat who served as the United Nations and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria until 14 May 2014. He was Mi ...
was appointed as the new special envoy to Syria from the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
and the
Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
(see
Lakhdar Brahimi peace envoy for Syria The Lakhdar Brahimi peace plan for Syria refers to the joint UN-Arab League peace mission, headed by Lakhdar Brahimi in order to resolve the Syria Crisis. On 17 August 2012, Brahimi was appointed by the United Nations as the new peace envoy to S ...
).


See also

*
Syrian conflict peace proposals The Syrian peace process is the ensemble of initiatives and plans to resolve the Syrian civil war, which has been ongoing in Syria since 2011 and has spilled beyond its borders. The peace process has been moderated by the Arab League, the UN S ...
*
International reactions to the Syrian civil war International reactions to the Syrian Civil War ranged from support for the government to calls for the government to dissolve. The Arab league, United Nations and Western governments in 2011 quickly condemned the Syrian government's response to ...
*
Robert Mood Lieutenant General Robert Mood (born 8 December 1958) is the President of Norwegian Red Cross and a retired Norwegian Army officer. He is the former head of the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), Inspector General of the Norwegi ...
(assistant to Envoy mr. Annan, leader of negotiations)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria International reactions to the Syrian civil war 2012 in Syria Syrian peace process Syria peace plan