Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria

The Kofi Annan peace plan for Syria or the U.N.-Arab League peace envoy for Syria, launched in February 2012, is considered the most serious international attempt to resolve the Syrian uprising in the Middle East diplomatically. The peace plan enforced a cease-fire to take place across Syria since 10 April 2012, though in reality the cease-fire was announced by the Syrian government on 14 April.

Following the Houla massacre and the consequent Free Syrian Army (FSA) ultimatum to the Syrian government, the cease fire practically collapsed towards the end of May 2012, as the FSA began nation-wide offensives against the government troops. On 1 June, the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush the anti-regime uprising, after the FSA announced that it was resuming “defensive operations.”

Chronology

On 23 February 2012, Annan was appointed as the U.N.-Arab League special envoy to Syria in an attempt to end the increasingly violent uprising that began in March 2011.

On 16 March, a 6-point peace plan was submitted to the UN. On 24 March 2012, Kofi Annan flew to Moscow in an effort to secure strong Russian support for his efforts to bring about a cease-fire and open political dialogue. On 27 March, the envoy's office said that the Syrian government had accepted the peace proposal, and would be working to implement it.

On 4 April, Annan told the U.N. Security Council that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had given assurances he would “immediately” start pulling back his forces and complete a military withdrawal from urban areas by 10 April. Annan also said that if the cease-fire was successful, an unarmed U.N. monitoring mission of some 200 to 250 observers could be brought into Syria to monitor compliance to its terms.

Syria’s army intensified its assaults on opposition strongholds almost immediately after agreeing to the Annan plan, activist organizations said.. For their part, and in breach of the last sentence of point 2 of the plan (below), the opposition refused to provide any commitments in writing. Similarly all involved states ('all relevant elements') did not provide commitments as per point 2.

On 5 April, Syrian U.N. Ambassador Bashar Jaafari told reporters at the United Nations that the Assad government would not abide by Annan’s cease-fire plan unless outside countries ('all relevant elements') supporting the opposition first pledged in writing to stop aiding rebel fighters. He also said that police would not be withdrawn from population centers because, unlike the military, they are not included in the 6 point plan (below).

On 1 May, Hervé Ladsous, the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said that both sides had violated the 12 April ceasefire agreement. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said it was vital that government and opposition alike cooperate fully with the UN observer force.

Following the Houla massacre and the consequent FSA ultimatum to the Syrian government, the cease fire practically collapsed towards the end of May 2012, as FSA began nation-wide offensives against the government troops. On 1 June, the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush an anti-regime uprising, after the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) announced that it was resuming “defensive operations.”

6-point peace plan

The text of the six-point plan: '

(1) commit to work with the Envoy in an inclusive Syrian-led political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people, and, to this end, commit to appoint an empowered interlocutor when invited to do so by the Envoy;

(2) commit to stop the fighting and achieve urgently an effective United Nations supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians and stabilise the country.

To this end, the Syrian government should immediately cease troop movements towards, and end the use of heavy weapons in, population centres, and begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centres.

As these actions are being taken on the ground, the Syrian government should work with the Envoy to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism.

Similar commitments would be sought by the Envoy from the opposition and all relevant elements to stop the fighting and work with him to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism;

(3) ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and to this end, as immediate steps, to accept and implement a daily two hour humanitarian pause and to coordinate exact time and modalities of the daily pause through an efficient mechanism, including at local level;

(4) intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons, including especially vulnerable categories of persons, and persons involved in peaceful political activities, provide without delay through appropriate channels a list of all places in which such persons are being detained, immediately begin organizing access to such locations and through appropriate channels respond promptly to all written requests for information, access or release regarding such persons;

(5) ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists and a non-discriminatory visa policy for them;

(6) respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully as legally guaranteed.

See also

• Syrian conflict peace proposals
• International reactions to the 2011–2012 Syrian uprising
• Robert Mood