UN’s special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, said that he expects progress on the peace process in the country after the deadline for the ceasefire on Thursday.
“If everyone respects it I think by six in the morning on Thursday we shall see improved conditions on the ground,” Annan said about the ceasefire, Al Jazeera English reported on its website.
Annan spoke in Tehran on Wednesday at a meeting with Foreign Minister of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi. He said Iran, a key ally of Syria, can be “part of the solution” for the ongoing crisis.
More than 9,000 have been killed since March 2011 in clashes between the Syrian government and the opposition, which has gone from street protests to military action.
Annan negotiated a ceasefire last month, which both parties reluctantly agreed to support. However, Syrian opposition activists said infighting intensified ahead of the deadline, which was initially set for Tuesday but then pushed back two days.
Annan also spoke in Tehran against calls to arm the Syrian opposition, saying that “any further militarization will be disastrous.”
