Clashes in Syria are going on for more that a year. According to the UN more than 8.000 people have already been killed as a result of the military actions in the country. Western forces accuse Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for this situation. They support the opposition and claim Assad must leave. Russia announces that both opposition and the government are guilty for the situation and the unilateral sanctions are not objective. UN and Arab league also nominated a special envoy to Syria. UN former Secretary General Kofi Annan tries to launch negotiations with Syrian Government.
According to the sfgate.com Syrian authorities told Kofi Annan that the military will withdraw troops and heavy weapons from populated areas by April 1o, in what could be a first step toward ending the bloody yearlong conflict.
The announcement came as Syrian troops hunted down activists and destroyed their homes in the country’s rebellious areas, and the United States remained skeptical of Damascus‘ latest statements, pointing to previous broken promises. Britain, France, Germany and several other countries also questioned whether Syrian President Bashar Assad would keep his word, the diplomats said.
“We have seen commitments to end the violence followed by massive intensifications of violence,” U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said. “So the United States, for one, would look at these commitments and say, yet again, the proof is the actions, not in the words.”
Rice said Annan told the U.N. Security Council he received a letter from Syria‘s foreign minister on Sunday with the April 1o date and indicated he would have preferred the pullback begin earlier. Annan urged the Syrian government to start the withdrawal immediately and move no further into populated areas, and “that commitment was provided,” Rice added.
Syria’s U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari said the April 1o deadline was set “by common accord” between Annan and the Syrian government, and he again pledged his government’s complete support for Annan’s six-point plan to end the yearlong Syrian crisis.
Annan is sending a U.N. peacekeeping team and some staff to Damascus this week to continue preparations for a potential U.N. cease-fire monitoring mission. The joint U.N.-Arab League envoy also was considering borrowing troops from U.N. operations in the Middle East, Rice said.
UN SC tried to put sanctions on Syrian Government twice but Russia and China prevented it by using their rights of veto.
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