The UN Security Council approved a declaration backing Kofi Annan’s mission to Syria and calling for compliance with the 10 April deadline for military withdrawal, to be followed within 48 hours by a ceasefire.
Ceasefire within 12 April
The declaration demands that the Syrian government comply “immediately, and no later than 10 April next”, with the April 1st pledge to end military deployment, halt the use of heavy artillery and withdraw troops from towns and cities. The Council also urged all the parties in Syria, including the opposition, to cease firing within 48 houses of that deadline, stressing the importance of a peaceful, political solution to the crisis through the complete and immediate implementation of Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s 6-point peace plan.
UN supervision
The declaration reiterates the Council’s full support for the former UN Secretary General’s efforts to end the violence, foster access to humanitarian organizations and facilitate a political transition that leads the country toward a democratic and pluralist system. It further points out the importance of effective and credible UN supervision in monitoring compliance with the pledges undertaken at Damascus, with the willingness to consider the option of authorising an impartial supervision mechanism for the purpose of implementing a ceasefire.
Access by humanitarian aid workers
The UN document also launches an appeal to the Syrian government to permit immediate and unobstructed access to humanitarian aid workers, urging all the Syrian parties, particularly the authorities, to fully cooperate with international organisations, especially with regard to humanitarian assistance. To that end, it calls for the immediate implementation of a daily 2-hour truce, as specified in the Annan plan.
Finally, the Security Council urges the UN and Arab League Special Envoy to report on developments in the cessation of the violence according to the established timeframes, and reserves the right to take ulterior steps in light of the Syrian response.
