Syria envoy Annan to meet Assad today

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Syria envoy Annan to meet Assad today

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The UN Syria envoy Kofi Annan will meet Syrian President Bashar Assad today.

10 March,2012 04:59 am

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Kofi Annan, the new Syria envoy, will meet Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Saturday morning.The U.N. chief told a group of reporters Friday that Annans priority is to immediately stop all violence by government forces and opposition fighters if not simultaneously, then first by government troops, followed by the opposition.Ban said a cease-fire should be quickly followed by inclusive political talks to resolve the yearlong conflict.Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general, was appointed last month as the joint special envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League.Ban said he held a half-hour teleconference Friday morning with Annan and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby.