Annan ends Syria trip with no deal

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Annan ends Syria trip with no deal

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Kofi Annan left Syria without a deal to end the bloody year-old conflict.

12 March,2012 05:21 am

International envoy and former U.N. chief Kofi Annan left Syria Sunday without a deal to end the bloody year-old conflict as regime forces mounted a new assault on rebel strongholds in the north.Annan said he presented President Bashar Assad with concrete proposals which will have a real impact on the ground.Once its agreed, it will help launch the process and help end the crisis on the ground, he told reporters at the end of his two-day visit to Syria.Annan, who also met with Syrian opposition leaders and businessmen in Damascus, said he was optimistic following two sets of talks with Assad, but acknowledged that resolving the crisis would be tough.Its going to be difficult but we have to have hope, he said.The former U.N. chief called for reforms that would create a solid foundation for a democratic Syria, but added: You have to start by stopping the killing and the misery and the abuse that is going on today and then give time for a political settlement.The ongoing bloodshed cast a pall over the U.N. efforts to end the countrys yearlong conflict, with both the regime and the opposition refusing talks with the other.