UN special envoy Kofi Annan said on Thursday his six-point peace plan aimed to stop violence in Syria, where clashes between the authorities and opposition have killed thousands of civilians since last March, is "not being implemented."
“Today, despite the acceptance of the six-point plan and the deployment of a courageous mission of United Nations observers to Syria, I must be frank and confirm that the plan is not being implemented,” he told the UN General Assembly.
He warned of an escalating crisis and laid responsibility for the atrocities on President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
“The violence is getting worse. The abuses are continuing. The country is becoming more polarized and more radicalized. And Syria’s immediate neighbors are increasingly worried about the threat of spillover,” he said.
“If things do not change, the future is likely to be one of brutal repression, massacres, sectarian violence, and even all-out civil war. All Syrians will lose.”
Annan stressed that the international community must take its unity in finding a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis to a new level.
“Individual actions or interventions will not resolve the crisis,” he said, warning of “consequences if compliance is not forthcoming.”
The six-point plan put forward by Annan in March called for a ceasefire and access for humanitarian agencies to Syria. It also envisioned the release of detainees, a political dialogue with account for the aspirations of the Syrian people, and unrestricted access of international media to the country.
However, violence in the country has continued and the opposition refuses to begin dialogue with the authorities while Assad remains in power.
The presence of a group of UN observers also had little impact on the situation in Syria.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the UN General Assembly on Thursday that UN monitors had been shot at while trying to access the scene of the latest Syrian massacre in the Hama province, which reportedly killed up to 100 civilians, including women and children.
Over 9,000 people have been killed in clashes between the government and opposition forces in Syria since the start of the uprising against the Assad regime, according to UN estimates.
