Syria ‘accepts’ Kofi Annan’s plan

Syria has accepted a proposal drafted by Kofi Annan and designed to end the bloodshed in the country, the envoy’s spokesman said, as opposition factions agreed to join forces against the regime.

UN-Arab League envoy Annan, speaking from Beijing, cautioned that the key to peace was implementing his six-point plan, as monitors reported at least another 31 people killed in Syria on Tuesday. That brought the total to almost 10 000 in the year-long uprising.

In Istanbul, opposition factions agreed late Tuesday to name the Syrian National Council as their representative and called on President Bashar al-Assad to pull back his tanks to show he was serious about peace. Annan’s plan includes calls for a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire and access to all areas affected by the fighting in Syria.

The Syrian government has written to the Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan accepting his six-point plan, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.

Mr Annan views this as an important initial step that could bring an end to the violence and the bloodshed, provide aid to the suffering, and create an environment conducive for a political dialogue that would fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people -  Annan’s spokesman Ahmad Fawzi

Fawzi said Annan had written to Assad asking Damascus for immediate action, including the release of people detained in Syria over the past year.

“Mr Annan has stressed that implementation will be key, not only for the Syrian people, who are caught in the middle of this tragedy, but also for the region and the international community as a whole,” Fawzi said.