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Summary Peace plan for Syria could be the last chance to avoid civil war, says Kofi Annan.
UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on Tuesday told the UN Security Council that his peace plan for Syria could be the last chance to avoid civil war, UN diplomats said. But he added that the six-point plan was not an open ended opportunity for Syrias President Bashar al-Assad, according to diplomats at the closed briefing by Annan.On the other hand, UN leader Ban Ki-moon had said that International powers are in a race against time to prevent all-out civil war in Syria, where the government could use the presence of ceasefire observers to prepare a new assault.Speaking ahead of a key UN Security Council meeting on Syria on Tuesday, Ban again condemned the brutality of President Bashar al-Assads forces but said attacks by opposition groups have also escalated. We are in a race against time to prevent full-scale civil war -- death on a potentially massive scale, Ban said. The UN already estimates that well over 9,000 people have died in the 14-month uprising against Assad.The government continues to assault its people, the UN secretary-general told the Atlantic Council think-tank in Washington. Every day we see the most appalling images -- troops firing in city centers, innocent civilians dying, even children. Security forces are arresting and torturing people with great brutality.A ceasefire started on April 12 under an accord between Assad and UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has broken down, with fighting raging on between government forces and anti-Assad rebels. There are now about 60 UN ceasefire observers in Syria and the full force of 300 sent by the UN Security Council is expected to be in place before the end of May, Ban added.This is a difficult mission at a difficult time, he said. We know the security risks to our brave UN observers. We know that Syrian citizens could face punishment for even speaking with them. And we know the nature of the regime, which could well use the presence of the mission to prepare further violence.Ban said Assads must government carry out Annans six-point peace plan, including the withdrawal of troops and guns from cities, without further delay. We cannot predict how this will end, he said. But we do know there can be no compromise on fundamental principles of justice and human rights. Ban earlier slammed the Syrian government for holding a national election on Monday despite the ongoing violence and for failing to involve all parties.
