AFP, United Nations, 21 March 2012 – The UN Security Council on Wednesday agreed on a statement calling on Syria to ‘immediately’ implement a peace plan proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, diplomats said.
The statement, to be officially adopted at 1400 GMT, says the 15-nation body will consider ‘further steps’ if President Bashar al-Assad fails to carry out the Annan plan.
The Western drafted text was agreed in ‘very tough’ negotiations with Russia, Syria’s last major ally, a Security Council diplomat told AFP.
Council members were given a night to look over the text and there were no objections on Wednesday morning, diplomats said. The backing of Russia and China, which vetoed two full resolutions on Syria, is considered an important signal to the Damascus government, envoys said.
The statement, obtained by AFP, says the council ‘fully supports’ the six-point plan put by Annan to the Syrian president in Damascus earlier this month.
Annan’s plan calls for a UN-supervised halt to fighting with the government pulling troops and heavy weapons out of protest cities, a daily two-hour humanitarian pause to hostilities and access to all areas affected by the fighting.
The special envoy also sought the release of people detained over the past year of the uprising against Assad in which the UN says well over 8,000 people have been killed.
A veiled warning of new measures was agreed.
‘The Security Council requests the envoy to update the council regularly and in a timely manner on the progress of his mission. In the light of these reports, the Security Council will consider further steps as appropriate,’ says the statement.