BEIRUT — Kofi Annan announced his resignation Thursday as Syria’s peace envoy and issued a blistering critique of world powers, bringing to a dramatic end a frustrating six-month effort that failed to achieve even a temporary cease-fire as the country plunged into civil war.
In a reflection of that escalation, rebels used a captured tank to shell a military air base near Aleppo — one of the first known uses of heavy weapons by the insurgents.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Annan blamed the Syrian government’s intransigence, the growing militancy of Syrian rebels and a divided Security Council that failed to forcefully back his effort. Since he took on the job, Russia and China have twice used their veto power to block strong Western- and Arab-backed action against President Bashar Assad’s regime.
The White House said Annan’s resignation highlights the failure of Russia and China to support action against Assad and called the regime’s continued violence against its own people “disgusting.”
“It is impossible for me or anyone to compel the Syrian government and also the opposition to take the steps to bring about the political process,” said Annan, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former U.N. secretary general.
“You have to understand: As an envoy, I can’t want peace more than the protagonists, more than the Security Council or the international community for that matter.”
Annan singled out the regime for blame for the violence. But he also said the opposition’s increasing militarization had contributed to dooming his six-point peace plan, which included a cease-fire and a Syrian-led political process to end the crisis.
“The bloodshed continues, most of all because of the Syrian government’s intransigence, and continuing refusal to implement the six-point plan, and also because of the escalating military campaign of the opposition — all of which is compounded by the disunity of the international community,” he said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he accepted the resignation with deep regret, adding that the search was under way for a successor to Annan, who will stay on until Aug. 31.
Annan was appointed envoy in February, representing the United Nations and the Arab League. But he was unable to calm the crisis, which began in March 2011 with mostly peaceful protests against the regime but has now morphed into a civil war.
According to activists, more than 19,000 people have been killed.
As the battle for the country intensifies, the rebels used a tank they captured to pound a military air base Thursday in the country’s largest city, Aleppo — an escalation that all but guarantees an even bloodier civil war.
It’s not clear whether the rebels will be able to use tanks in a sustained way, as they require fuel and ammunition that is in short supply. But their ability to capture such weapons suggests growing coordination and sophistication.
Still, the Syrian army has far more powerful weapons than the rebels and there was no indication that Thursday’s attack on the air base was particularly effective. Later, a nearby village was shelled by government forces out of that same air base.
General assembly plans vote
There has been a growing chorus of international condemnation of Syria’s handling of the uprising and a vote is set for Friday in the U.N. General Assembly on a resolution drafted by Arab League countries. However, its call for Assad to step down and for sanctions on Syria was dropped because of resistance from Russia, China, Brazil and India.
While the 193-member General Assembly has no legal mechanism for enforcing a resolution, an overwhelming vote can carry moral and symbolic power.
The Associated Press
