Syria, Annan: chances for peace disappearing

The commander of Syria's principal armed rebel group is threatening to resume attacks on forces loyal to his country’s embattled President, Bashar al-Assad. Free Syrian Army (FSA) chief Colonel Riad al-Asaad issued a statement carried in the London-based pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, saying he can no longer stand idle while a government crackdown on protests continue.

The statement comes on the heels of a Security Council briefing by join UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, in which the former UN Secretary-General said, “There is a profound concern that the country could otherwise descend into full civil war,” and suggested that the chances for the success of his plan for peace are rapidly diminishing. Annan renewed his appeal to all parties to the conflict to eschew violence in favour of dialogue.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a Russian-European drafted resolution last month that authorised an initial deployment of up to 300 unarmed military observers to Syria for three months, to be known as UNSMIS. There was an initial pause in fighting on April 12, though the ceasefire to which both sides agreed has never taken hold. Listen to our report: