International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Syria’s capital on Thursday as state forces pounded its eastern outskirts to flush out rebels trying to retain a foothold in Damascus. Brahimi’s mission is a challenging one as neither side in the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad seems ready to put down arms.
Brahimi describes his Syria mission as ‘nearly impossible’
The new UN-Arab League envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, has given a deeply pessimistic view of the task ahead of him, as he takes up his new post. Speaking to the BBC, the Algerian described his mission as “nearly impossible”.
Syria’s SNC slams new UN envoy comments on Assad
The opposition Syrian National Council described as “unacceptable” on Sunday comments by new UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi that it was too soon for him to call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
UN: Algeria’s Brahimi will replace Annan in Syria
Lakhdar Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister and longtime U.N. diplomat known as a strong-willed, independent broker, has agreed to replace former Secretary-General Kofi Annan as peace envoy to Syria, the United Nations announced Friday.
Syria accepts Algeria’s Brahimi as Annan’s successor
The Syrian government has consented to the idea of Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi replacing Kofi Annan as the U.N.-Arab League mediator in the Syria conflict, though Brahimi has yet to accept or reject the post, Annan’s spokesman said on Tuesday. Annan, a former U.N. secretary-general and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, announced he would step down […]
UN chief: “There will be no winner in Syria “
The possibility of a drawn out civil war in Syria looms, as fighting continues across the country. Assad’s army has ceded ground elsewhere in order to focus its resources on fighting in Aleppo. In the meantime, the U.N. may name a new envoy to replace Kofi Annan next week.
The Battle for Aleppo: Assad Regime’s Black Eye
As Aleppo burns, Syria’s regime is gradually losing its image as a well-oiled and organized military machine—and Assad may be more vulnerable than many once thought. The Syrian regime launched its first sustained ground offensive yesterday into Salahedin, the Aleppo neighborhood
Assad troops push into Aleppo to oust rebels
Syria launched a ground assault Wednesday on rebel-held areas of the besieged city of Aleppo, the center of battles between government forces and opposition fighters for more than two weeks. It was not immediately clear if the offensive was “the mother of all battles”
Ban Ki-moon set to announce Annan’s replacement
The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon has held talks with the Arab League in the hope of agreeing on a new Syrian peace envoy to replace Kofi Annan and keep open an alternative to the spiralling levels of violence.
Twin Departures Signal Death Watch in Damascus
Assad now faces accelerating demoralization among his soldiers and desperation among those who have been his political backers in Damascus and abroad.