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Subscribe to RSSSyrian President Bashar Assad must order a cease-fire immediately, a spokesman for UN chief envoy Kofi Annan said Friday, telling reporters: "The deadline is now".
"We expect him to implement this plan immediately," Ahmad Fawzi, a spokesman for Anna, told a news briefing in Geneva, adding that Assad should not wait for opposition groups to make the first move.
Annan's peace proposal calls for the withdrawal of heavy weapons and troops from cities and towns, humanitarian assistance, the release of prisoners and free movement and access for journalists. It does not hinge on Assad leaving office.
For the first time since 1990, Arab League countries meet in Iraq's capital, but only half of the members showed up to discuss a UN proposal for Syria. NBC's Duncan Golestani reports.
"If you read the agreement...it specifically asks the government to withdraw its troops, to cease using heavy weapons in populated centers. The very clear implication here is that the government must stop first and then discuss a cessation of hostilities with the other side and with the mediator," Fawzi said.
Report: Syria is torturing children, UN human rights chief says
He added that Annan would soon visit Iran to discuss Syria peace proposals, although no date for the trip has been set.
Annan has already been to Cairo, Ankara, Doha, Beijing and Moscow to try and secure international agreement on how to deal with Assad.
Britain pledges $800,000 to Syria opposition to topple Assad regime
The comments come ahead of a 70-nation summit in Istanbul on Sunday, to be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, which aims to consolidate international backing for Syria opposition groups.
Britain on Thursday became the first western country to pledge a specific sum of financial support for non-military opposition groups in Syria, offering $800,000 to be spent on communications and human rights protections.
Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
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well what U going to do if Syria doesn't? nothing, same as U been doing.
Annon and his UN claim relevance. Clinton said months ago, "Assad must go". Assad could care less what those guys think.
I've got to say I'm with you cool. Which country(ies) in the UN is going to [FINALLY] step up?
Although we wish you well, we're sorry UN but the USA is currently busy with other higher priorities. How about that fraction that talks plenty but never acts? You know, they're called the Arab League?
No doubt! Half the nations don't show up to this meeting?! Are you freakin' kidding me?! You can't help those that don't want help. These nations have shown they care little for their own people much less their neighbors'. We need to stop wasting American time, money and blood trying to get these people to not live 200 years behind the rest of the world. Knock yourselves out (literally) and look in the mirror before blaming the West for all your problems.
So if the Syrian government does order a cease fire, is the UN going to denounce the rebels when they continue the violence?
HEY guys I like to see you all stop firing when somebody is shooting at you , the Syrian army have the right to protect its citizens from all these thugs and i hope they do not stop till they get rid of all of them , YOU all quit listening to JOHN MECCAIN and his dumb ideas the only thing he is trying to do is get us in another war , I wonder what he does if somebody shooting at his house , i bet he will call pres. OBAMA and raise hell about it , come on people quit trying to police the world and let every country live the way they want to live not like we want to.
Not nothing. They will send Assad an even more sternly worded cease-fire demand. That should really scare him
ummm, my turn-5304605, the Syrian army ARE the thugs.
Syria must complete a cease fire immediately, or we will have to go in and give them the old shock and awe. That'll teach em a lesson. Once we give them the business, then they'll fall in line for sure. We just need to give em the old shock and awe because it's awesome to do that.
You've gotta be trolling.....
Where's "W" when we need him?
That is a VERY smart comment - lets spend another trillion dollars of US taxpayer money to mix into the internal affairs of another country.
I think Big Al was being sarcastic. But the U.N.'s ultimatum does lay a legal basis for armed intervention if anyone is foolish enough to want to do that.
Do likes of you still have "shock and awe"? Why not use them in Afghanistan and Iraq?
These may help while withdrawing from Afghanistan and saving Iraq from bloody civil wars!
Some thought Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan taught some mad people lessons.
But some never appear to learn ever!
If Syria doesn't stop the violence, the UN will write a letter to Assad telling him he's a really naughty boy. They might even stamp the letter with a seal of the UN just to make it more intimidating when Assad reads it.
Yep, those U.N. sanctions worked so well in North Korea, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and now Syria.
Nothing is going to work with these folks unless it is "brute force", however the consequences of using this type force will be TOO high.
The U.N. is nothing more than a collection agency, with it's IMF and G-series tentacles, with their mandate of World Redistribution of Wealth. Their New World Order ideology is nothing more than a Pipe Dream. The U.S. should boot the U.N. out of NYC AFTER the "diplomats" pay their parking fees.
NATO should do what they did in Libya. It actually worked. After almost 42 years as dictator, Ghaddafi is finally gone. I say give Assad a chance to quit his job and move to the Ferdinand Marcos House in Hawaii. If he doesn't, then drop a smart bomb on his head. It worked in Libya last year. Time to do it again
The UN couldn't break up a cookie fight at a Girl Scout meeting. They can stamp their foot, hold their breath, and make all the speeches and demands they want. A well placed bullet from Seal Team 6 would be a lot more effective. I wish this country would spend half as much time worrying about it's own problems as it does trying to fix the troubles of every other nation on the planet.
Hm... Imagine the headlines: Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was gunned down by a group of people who appeared to be Girl Scouts. Syrian forces were unable to pursue the shooters, whoever they may be, but said the shooters left behind several boxes of Girl Scout cookies. The Syrian Army considers this a good trade. Story to be updated.
Update: Imagine this.
All the fountainheads of world economic and Islamic radicalism and terrorism problems like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and other Sunni Arab League rulers are blown up by bomb blasts. These are done by those wearing the dresses of Girl Scouts. UN forces, Arab League forces and their puppets are not able to trace them. Instead they get huge boxes of wealths of rulers with seals of Girl Scout cookies!
Our 80 percent of problems gone and UN will be sleeping for at least 8 years!
dont hold your breath on syria doing it lol
He'll ignore it as always..
Got away with it before, so why stop???
Yea...Sure, "the UN orders it." That wonderful institution that ignores acting on ANY of the world's real villains.
The biased UN and press ignores the hemorrhage that's been going on for nearly a year,(10,000 dead civilians in Syria) and focuses today, instead on Israel defending it's legal borders...Shame on the UN & press: msnbc, reuters, cnn, bbc, et al...
Spot on, CM. What has everyone been waiting for? A proper alignment of the planets? A favorable reading of entrails? Enough Girl Scout cookies to distract the whole region?
Assad will stop when the Russians and Chinese stop supplying the bullets.
I HOPE THE russian and chineese do not stop , because when they do ALQUIDA going to win and you do not want that to happen STEVE-1913786 .
We have not yet learned that it is very difficult to control and police the behavior of other countries. How many gazillions to we need to spend before get it? I suppose the answer is there is no limit to our spending because we have the machine that prints the money.
My worries on Syria and Iran are: high manipulated oil prices as during Iraqi wars, more economic mess at home, additional cost of wars and poor soldiers and their families.
The Syrian people are a rough bunch. They are brave enough, and filled with enough resolve, to protest in the streets while being engaged with crew served weapons. Day, after day, after day they thumb their noses at heavy artillery and mortar fire. Maybe they got some AK's, but that's about it. They stand looking at a monolith with jets, and tanks, and rockets and they gladly throw their .762 cal peas at the monster. I wonder how the American Revolution would have turned out if the British had rolled in with some heavy armor and direct fire support from the sky? I'd be getting ready for tea time right now is how it would have turned out... well actually, I'd just be picking up my rifle, still fighting the Revolution. The Syrian people have earned my respect for their bravery and resolve. I am $#@%ing sick of war. I am sick of America being engaged in war. I am sick of humans and all of our war. That being said, the Syrian Government deserves war, and I, as an American citizen, would be damn proud if my country showed those cowardly punks what war is all about. God speed people of Syria.
Look at the photo of the brave warriors against girls, women, minorities and unarmed led by Sunni Saudi and other Arab League members.
They sent their forces to Bahrain.
When it came to Syria and Iran, Sunni Saudi seventh century desert mindset bigoted rulers of Arab League started their seventh century desert dances with monies flashing all around.
They bought over the UN (Kofi is the right choice and quite cheap) and on the way to buy some in the US, Britain, France (Sarkozy is the cheapest on the block) and co and set them for doing their dirty works on Syria and Iran just like during Iraqi wars.
Let the reforms start from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and other Sunni ME nations. Or else, UN and co have no rights to order anything!
Are they dead in Sudan and other places where non-Muslims are going through worst times?
In all fairness, Saudi Arabia isn't currently launching mortars into population centers.
The only reason why things have gotten this far is the stubborn insistence of Syria unleashing its full military might indiscriminately in major cities, racking up a death toll that's quickly approaching 10,000.
If Bahrain had gotten that bad, would the UN condemn them? Maybe, maybe not. SA is an American ally, and that counts for a lot. But that's not what's happening. Here and now, the Syrians need help, and the world has finally built up some momentum for change.
UN is a joke, they have no means to enforce their resolutions... unless the US steps in of course. The US and NATO is the world police force for the UN.
Why such a long wait? The UN could have saved thousands of lives!!
Stop or we'll say stop again.
Ni !
All nations of the planet should have convened at the UN to allow foreign intervention in Syria. Syria is for the Syrian people to live in peace and with dignity! But now, they are being slaughtered like pigs and the international community should not allow it! For God´s sake, we live in the 21st century. Especially, in this particular case, the Arab League Nations should act overwhelmingly to cause the fall of those demented murderers Assad, both Bashar and Naher.
By their vote, twice, Russia and China have demonstrated that they too want to have a free hand in their countries to maim, assassinate and jail their nationals, at will. They have plenty of experience in producing dead and mutilated bodies all over their countryside.
With this background, Assad promoted a fake, cynical referendum, on constitutional changes, to make everybody believe that he is the good guy, and that the people of Syria deserve to be slaughtered day after day, with no international reaction in sight.
Of course, all this, also, after recent elections in Yemen where a single candidate, the Vice-president of Saleh, another assassin, ran for reelection; and, of course, won.
And, not a word from the State Department or the majority of chanceries across the world, especially of those countries that consider themselves highly industrialized, super developed, and the world´s guardians of freedom, free democracy, and human rights.
Why doesn´t the International Penal Court seek to investigate and prosecute Assad´s animal behavior, ASP?
Sure, a cease fire is good news, but the Assassin himself – Assad family – should step down and be tried internationally for crimes against humanity. If this is not an aim of the UN, they will have failed miserably.
Nice, huh, after 40 years of his family being in power, this stupid animal named Bashar Assad -- all he knows is killing his own people with his country´s army. He´s been president for 11 years, but he has reached the point of no return and should be killed, alongside his family. The referendum should be for his ouster from this planet, period! He´ll surely lose. Lest, of course, in the case of Assad, countries like the UK, where his bitchy wife is from, try to give him asylum. At this point, any type of sectarian violence is better than outright killings by this demented moron and his brother Maher. The Sunni Muslims will in the end prevail, while the Alawite, related to Shiite Islam, will probably be massacred in Syria.
The Royal Saudis, and other blue blooded Arabs, including Assad, and other (assassins) “presidents” of the region´s economies, are not reforming anything in the political arena, like redefining their rules for economic growth in democracy, western-type. They´ll all be kicked out eventually! And, when the population realizes that the West did not help, they´ll surely turn to more fanatic means, engulfing both politics and religion, as in Iran!! Eventually, to protect oil sources the West might have to set up a NO-FLY ZONE all over the Middle East, case by case.
Bashar Al Assad is a despot, demented moron, and murderer – an international shame for the 21st century -- and should be executed quickly by Syria´s (shabiha in rebellion), or foreign, armed forces – the Mossad -- even for the sake of saving their skins if not solely to save Arab lives, while at the same time taking over and installing a temporary military government,, that over a period of 2 years could bring things back to normal. Needless to say, in the process, the armed forces there should be purged of any of Assad´s cronies so that these freedom fights continue for the benefit of the Syrian population.
The only political system that will last forever, so to speak, will be a western style-type democracy. Apparently this truth has been realized by a whole new generation of Syrians educated within and outside of that country. The internet has helped bridge the technological gap and to come to full realization that their young lives were meaningless and had no future with corrupt animals like Assad, in power. In Egypt, the military government should be forced to resign!
However, Syrians will not have freedom and dignity for a long time. They have to work at it, together with their armed forces that must see their role as only temporary -- 2 years -- until the country´s new institutional basis is set up so that political parties can prosper in peace and without fear. Once this is achieved, elections must be convened so that regional-party political representatives can be elected nationwide with a view to integrating a National Assembly to draft a new Constitution for the country. This would be the beginning of a new future for the Syrian population.
Meanwhile, if captured alive, the military government should prosecute Assad so that the death penalty can be brought to bear on this god forsaken animal, and his family. Their own and family assets, in general, should be confiscated in Syria as well as outside of the country. Those monies belong to the people of Syria.
But more than anything, the world must congratulate the Syrian population for acting with great courage, with their hearts and minds, to try to topple a ruthless and corrupt regime from the face of the earth. They should be armed by the rest of the world.
Needless to say many more countries will follow, not only in the Middle East – mainly, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iran, etc. -- but also in Latin America, especially in the case of those with presidential lunatics trying to emulate the Cuban political system which under the noses of the USA and the rest of the Americas has failed miserably.
In general, the combination of authoritarian rule, high unemployment, poor opportunities for social advancement, demographic youth bulges, low public investment in education and health and other public services, and anger at high levels of corruption, and outright thievery, in the Middle East and North Africa, and in Latin America, will prompt public uprisings that will topple their leaders. Assad is definitely in this list after their close friend Gadhafi has moved on to better pastures, in hell! Needless to say, the Cuban government also needs to be overthrown!
Instead, Presidents from these poor, backward economies, that have not even approached the take-off stage in economic development should instead concentrate their public administration efforts in fighting corruption, reducing the size of their inefficient and corrupt public sectors, and increasing public/private investments with the help of the multilateral financial community -- including in the strategic social sectors; i.e., education, health, and basic services – to increase employment.
The UN Security Council should give the OK for NATO to intervene also in Syria, so that these people are not slaughtered like animals by their own army. The intervention at this stage should be humanitarian aid, drones, and light weapons with plenty of ammunition so that these peoples can defend themselves from the butchers of Damascus.
But what can the world do with stupid interventions like the one given NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stating that the alliance had no intention of intervening in Syria, even if there was a UN mandate for this. He also rejected the idea of providing logistical support for possible ‘humanitarian corridors’ to Syria’s worst-hit cities. Rasmussen said that Syria is too complicated, ethnically, politically, and religiously, adding that Middle Eastern countries should find a solution to the conflict.
This very stupid general should resign his post. Rasmussen’s comments are risky, because they could actually give Syrian President Bashar al-Assad even greater confidence to crack down on the opposition, thus making NATO intervention more likely, if Assad uses now even deadlier force, at which point the West would come under rising pressure to intervene.
Get the cowardly generals out of the way, get them some boos and whores, and let them have a war with their cowardly selves.
McCain is right!! Strike the murderers now! In this sense, the USA should at least coordinate a good and final strike against the Syrian government. Hire Mossad??? I mean, so much sh-t is said about Israel wanting to stop Iran but meanwhile with the Iranians help, Assad is butchering thousands of human beings and Israel just sits idly by.
In the final analysis given the severity of the situation, the UN/NATO should propose that Syria, a sovereign country, transfer its right to national self-determination to an overseer. The UN should argue that given the failure and the criminality of the Syrian state, UN and NATO members have the power and moral right to suspend the principle of national self-determination. In other words, Syria should be taken over by the rest of the world to stop the mass assassinations being conducted there by Bashar Assad.
More than TEN THOUSAND SYRIANS HAVE ALREADY DIED in their fight for LIBERTY!
And the rest of the world, especially her neighbors, should not allow it!
all that big write up you can wipe somebody nose with it because you just like MCCAIN you do not have a diddly idea what going on there , you want to go and help ALQUIDA, great i thought they were our enemy and all the genrals told they were in SYRIA and you still want to and fight the SYRIANS AND assad, HE IS DOING us a favor by getting rid of these people . strange people like you GERMAN-3 but it does not surprise me when you mentiond and supported MECCAIN .
Macain war monger,
Liberty? Liberty from what ? to go back perhaps to be under French/British or Turkish occupation.
USA had a sanction against Syrian people for so long now. Suddenly every one love Syrian People and that is included Sunni 7 century backward Terrorist.
Cant we all just get along?? geeesssshhhhhhh
I don't think either the Iraelis or the Palastinians should have the city for their capitols. Neither deserve it.
I beleive the only way to solve this problem is to declare it an open city / state of its own with no affiliation to any government. Administered by the leaders of the three major religions to which it is sacred.
Anarachy never works. Which you are suggesting because for Anarchy to work then no one is charge no leadership what-so-ever. How can you have religions administering like you think they should without a central place of meeting or a capitol area?
The orders asks?
Bull@!$%#.....The order should say YOU WILL pull your heavy weapons out of the populated centers and YOU WILL stop engaging in the murder of innocent civilians or the United Nations is going to send in the troops to take you out.
Did the Russians agree to Annan's plan? And are they still supplying Assad military equipment and assistance (including special ops/troops on the ground ) And the biggest question of all, what, if anything, is the UN going to do about it if Assad persists? If history is an indicator, the answer is absolutely NOTHING.
BTW, getting Assad out of the way may also help deal with the Iranian problems. At the very least, we should not have to worry about Syria coming to Iran's defense if Assad is taken out. And it might even free up Syria to be used as a flight path or air base should a preemptive strike become necessary.
Smashing Assad would definitely be a major blow to Iran and Hezbollah. It would also be a big victory for Israel. Iran is running out of friends.
ya big al thats whats wrong with we want to give everybody the shock and awe great with people like you we do not have to worry abut anybody liking us. grow up buddy we do not want that to happen to us so why you want to do it to everybody you do not like .
Come on UN (United Nothing)!!!! we already cut-off his wife from shopping at all the high class shops in the UK and elsewhere. If that didnt work nothing will!!! Did you try cancelling Asaad's subscription to Netflix?
Correct me if I am wrong...but for the UN to send "their" troops in dont they need a unamimous vote by the security council....which includes Russia and China?
I am tired of hearing Annan yap like a toothless old dog. Now even the Arab League is turning yellow. Assad can do whatever he pleases. Nobody is going to stop him from killing his own people and a couple of foreign journalists, but they are expendable anyway. I am sure Iran is grinning from ear to ear. They need Syria as their forward operating base so the trip to Israel is significantly shortened and the Israeli response will be on Arab land, not Perisan. Obama is going to tighten the oil embrago noose on Iran. That way record profits can be made by the speculators and oil companies. Of course that will drive the gas prices up to $5 a gallon, but Obama said he would not help out he consumers until the price get around $6 a gallon. Now that Obamacare is out, he has to do something that will show he is in control of the country and take measures to get the gas prices back down, IF HE IS RE-ELECTED.