Kofi Annan resigning as U.N. envoy to Syria

Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan meets with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, unseen, at the Great Hall of People in Beijing March 27, 2012. / AP Photo

Updated 12:58 p.m. ET

(CBS/AP) Kofi Annan abruptly announced his resignation Thursday as the Arab League and United Nations envoy for the conflict in Syria, to take effect Aug. 31. In talks with reporters, Annan laid much of the blame for his departure on the U.N. Security Council.

"When the Syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger pointing and name calling in the Security Council," Annan said. "It is impossible for me or anyone to compel the Syrian government and also the opposition to take the steps to bring about the political process. As an envoy, I can't want peace more than the protagonists, more than Security Council or the international community, for that matter."

Annan said a failed six-point plan, commonly referred to as the Annan plan, is actually the Security Council's, since it was endorsed by the body. U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon indicated there is generally increasing pessimism on finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

"Tragically, the spiral of violence in Syria is continuing. The hand extended to turn away from violence in favour of dialogue and diplomacy - as spelled out in (Annan's) Six-Point Plan - has not been not taken, even though it still remains the best hope for the people of Syria. Both the Government and the opposition forces continue to demonstrate their determination to rely on ever-increasing violence," Ban said in a written statement. "The persistent divisions within the Security Council have themselves become an obstacle to diplomacy, making the work of any mediator vastly more difficult," Ban said.

The White House said Annan's resignation highlights the failure of Russia and China to support action against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the U.S. is grateful for Annan's willingness to lead efforts to seek a resolution to the ongoing violence in Syria. But he says the Syrian government was never willing to embrace Annan's plan, which included a cease-fire and allowing international monitors to operate in the county.

Carney said the U.S. will continue working with international partners to halt the violence. But he said the U.S. continues to oppose sending weapons to rebel forces in Syria.

The impact of the Annan resignation is the recognition that diplomacy has failed in Syria. On a personal front, Annan clearly was not going down with the ship - i.e. the failure of his six-point peace plan - and his resignation was an affirmation of what most diplomats knew, and that is, both the government and the opposition are in a fight to the finish, CBS News' Pamela Falk reports.

White House: No comment on alleged Syria support
Al Qaeda a "cancer" in Syria, says Iraq's U.N. ambassador
Report: Obama authorizes covert Syrian rebel aid

Russia and China have repeatedly vetoed resolutions calling for forceful action at the U.N. on the Syrian crisis, largely because both believe the U.N. overreached when intervening in Libya last year. Iraq Ambassador to the U.N. Hamid al Bayati said in an interview with CBS News this week that the Arab League and its allies have agreed to bypass Russia and China's veto powers by taking a forceful peace plan to the General Assembly.

Ban said he is looking for a successor to Kofi Annan to serve as an envoy to civil-war wracked Syria.

Annan's plan to resolve the crisis there included a cease-fire that was supposed to take effect in mid-April. But the cease-fire never took hold.

Rights activists report that more than 19,000 people have died in the Syrian crisis since March 2011.

Ban said diplomacy is still the best way to resolve the situation.

Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Thursday his country regrets Annan's decision to step down, Reuters reports.

"We understand that it's his decision," Churkin told reporters. "We regret that he chose to do so. We have supported very strongly Kofi Annan's efforts. He has another month to go, and I hope this month is going to be used as effectively as possible under these very difficult circumstances."

Churkin added he was encouraged that Ban is looking for a successor to Annan.

[Martha12345]

Didn't anyone ever tell him that "quiters never win" ?

[nor-one]

Be thankful he's gone. People in Rwanda still cry for the 800,000 who died while he was in charge of peace keeping there. They don't call him the "Butcher of Rwanda" for nothing folks.

[melpol12]

Installing Sharia law throughout the Greater Middle-East will bring peace to the region. Its only structures will be religious councils appointed by the people; their job would be the strict enforcement of Sharia law. The newly formed Islamic nations must be headless even if it would result in anarchy. Allah`s leadership must be searched for but only found in prayer.

[Martha12345]

That sounds like a sure bet.

[baileycccc]

Nobody could work with those looney bins.

[moweddell2]

Any position taken in Syrian affair is a losing one! You support either side and you end up eventually in another dictatorship. If the "Rebels" take over, they will fall back on their religion and elect yet again another dictator - perhaps a misguided religious fanatic mullah or cleric. Then the new "regime" will resort back to the code of the feud, and in the name of Jihad, begin again murdering Jews, Christians, educated women and chldren, other religiousd sects, and neighbors who did not take a position. Then, since their misery continues they will blame outsiders and start exporting terrorism. Onother solution not given publicity is: 1) Give a gurantee of the dictator's safety, 2) require of him a gurantee of gradual transition into a free democracy in increments, 3) get a gurantee of eventual free democratic elections, 4) Install eventually a constitutional government, which no Syrian wants due to their support of supremacy of Islamic "Religion" as the ultimate law of the land. Perhaps they should change or outlaw their religion, which will never happen. No since none of the above will occur, they will continue their society of opression, chaos, and rebellion for more generations.

[sjones25]

I don't know about giving weapons to the rebels. We need to see who they are first. For all we know, they could end up being the Taliban 2. We don't want to be dodging missiles with USA written on the side 5 years from now.

[jnostromo]

The UN has never been and never will be an effective organization.

[nonpolitico]

netjunkie1: I totally agree.
Maybe a fly-in to Israel of US Airforce assets with a beefed up USN Mediterranean Fleet cruising off Syria could make more of a point that a "UN resolution"?
We don`t need or want a base in Syria, but can park up two of USN Carriers with normal protection ships fleet,to make the same impact.
(With the added benefit that China/Russia Commie Pals cannot VETO that!!)

[nonpolitico]

Maybe there is another way to move forward.
As useless as the UN is, perhaps if lawyersforUS.com filed for damages for the Syrian people against the Russians and Chinese, that could works at least as well as the UN mission has to date.
There are alternatives, but not likely to be actioned til after Obama gone(and will not happen if he stays).
1. Drone strike Syrian airbases and Russian equipment.(And maybe ditto on Assads palace?)
2. Equip Free Syrian Army with ground to air missiles(They worked against Russians in Afghanistan)!
3. Take ALL UNITED NATIONS COSTS to date from frozen Syrian assets, and pay them as compensation to all Syrian families with injured/dead relatives.
Stop trading with China/Russia for an undefined period. (Only way to make sure they do not get off scot free as they support genocide.)
They both need a dose of international public opinion outrage!

[sjc_1]

I understand why he is going this. It is an impossible situation when people will not work together, so no sense wasting your time.

[netjunkie1]

It all started with a handful of common syrians asking for more say so in government policy. What they got was murder, now Syria is in civil war.
Mr. Anan tried his best to broker a peace, but it wasn't meant to be, and perhaps WW3 will become a reality after all because of it.
The Russians have a military base that should be getting ready to either leave the area (which they wont), or support the Assad government.
I think the US should be making a deal with the Free Syrians to put a base there, and serve notice to the Russian Empire they aren't welcome anymore.