Consultations on appointing a new international envoy to Syria have started, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has confirmed. “There are some candidates on the table,” an FCO spokeswoman told Ahram Online.
The remark suggests that Kofi Annan, the outgoing envoy, is not expected to change his mind on his resignation.
Annan, the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria since February, announced Thursday he will not renew his mission, which will expire at the end of the month.
Annan blamed world powers for not giving enough backing to his peace efforts. He also condemned the escalating the militarisation of the Syrian conflict.
The FCO spokeswoman said that Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary general, and Nabil Al-Araby, his Arab League counterpart, are considering a list of candidates to replace Annan. She refused to give names. She confirmed the Syrian government should give its consent to any new envoy.
Russia said Friday that major powers should urgently replace Annan.
"A worthy candidate to succeed Kofi Annan should be urgently found," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It pointed out that the developing situation requires a UN presence in the country
Meanwhile, the UK insists that the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) be terminated when its mandate expires later this month.
The FCO spokeswoman said the UK thinks there is no point for the observer mission unless the “Al-Assad regime changes its practices.” She called on the Syrian government to “stop its military machine from killing Syrian civilians."
She added that UN observers should be able to do their job.
The UK government says there are no indications this will happen by the end of the current of the observer mission 19 August.
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