Kofi Annan: Syria peace effort failing

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.

Despite mounting international condemnation, Assad's regime has largely held together. On Saturday, however, France announced the defection of Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass, an Assad confidant and son of a former defense minister who helped ease Assad into power.

Tlass is the highest ranking official to abandon the regime so far, and Western powers and anti-regime activists hoped his departure would encourage others to leave, too.

Clinton: "Friends of Syria" must unite to stop Russia, China "blockading" progress
Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass, member of Bashar Assad's inner circle, defects

News of the defection largely overshadowed an international conference in Paris on Saturday attended by the U.S., its European and Arab partners and members of Syria's fractured opposition.

The so-called "Friends of Syria" said they would provide means for the opposition in Syria to better communicate among themselves and with the outside world and increase humanitarian aid.

They also called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution that would force the regime to comply with the two peace plans that have been largely ignored by both sides in the conflict.

Syrian allies Russia and China would likely veto any resolution seen as too critical of the Syrian government, as they have in the past.

About 100 demonstrators marched against Assad's regime in Paris on Saturday. Many were disappointed that the Paris conference had not led to more specific actions against the regime.

"Meeting just to talk is useless," said protester Hende Khattav, a Syrian who has lived in Paris for 37 years. "We have to do something. There has to be a useful action to make this massacre of the Syrian people stop."

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[verrz]

For those who believe the West is not arming the rebels through 3rd parties: I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

[K. Daraa]

What a surprise that UN peace planning was ignored by all parties participating in the civil war in Syria. A measure of the skewed media coverage is the inclusion of Syrian regime casualties, especially the Syrian military killed in action, in the overall casualty counts for "the uprising", like those were civilians killed opposing the government. If you look, even in this article, there are a number of Syrian military KIA mentioned. Perhaps it might be nice if we got some of both sides of the picture, not just the anti-Syrian government propaganda, either fed to the press, or assumed by the press. Putting a caveat that some printed claim "...hasn't been independently verified...", hardly allows the media to claim the unbiased "ethical high ground", because it is a copout from integrity required in reporting.

[formerlyluvnut]

Too funny....dude...ya think??? I mean, seriously?

[fiddlestickawshucks]

NO WONDER THE WORLD IS A STATE OF NEAR COLLAPSE.!!

Where has Annan been for the last 8 months.

Statements like this make the rest of the world look like idiots and the UN in particular.

The failure of Russian and China to support the UN makes the UN look like a bunch of sissies.

Change the voting regulations so that it does not require 100% participation in order to pass anything and tell the REDS to "F" off.

[taxed01]

Kofi - what was your first clue? Maybe the 14,000 dead people?