UN, Arab League appoint Ghana’s Kofi Annan as special envoy to Syria to deal with crisis

The United Nations and the League of Arab States February 23, 2012 announced  they have appointed the former UN chief and Ghanaian-born Mr Kofi Annan as their Joint Special Envoy to deal with the crisis in Syria, where thousands of people have been killed as a result of the government’s ongoing crackdown against a pro-democracy uprising.

According to the UN News Centre, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil El-Araby in a joint statement said “Mr. Annan will serve as their high-level representative on the crisis, and will be supported by a deputy from the Arab world who will be chosen later.”

“The Special Envoy will provide good offices aimed at bringing an end to all violence and human rights violations, and promoting a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis,” the statement said.

The statement adds “He will consult broadly and engage with all relevant interlocutors within and outside Syria in order to end the violence and the humanitarian crisis, and facilitate a peaceful Syrian-led and inclusive political solution that meets the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people through a comprehensive political dialogue between the Syrian Government and the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition.”

By Ekow Quandzie