Russia Concerned Over Attempts to ‘Privatize’ Annan Plan

Moscow is concerned over attempts by self-proclaimed structures to “privatize” interntaionally approved efforts to end the Syrian conflict such as the UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

“I would like to stress with full responsibility that the Annan Plan has been accepted in its entirety by the UN Security Council, and only the UN Security Council has the right to evaluate the implementation of this plan,” Lavrov told journalists in Moscow.

His statement followed a meeting of a group of Arab League states on Syria held in Qatar on Tuesday in which Annan also took part. Participants in the talks confirmed their support for Annan’s six-point plan to end the Syrian conflict, yet some delegates voiced criticism of the peace effort, including Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, who said that no progress has been made to end the deadly crisis in Syria.

“We hope the Syrian government responds” to the Annan Plan, he said, adding: “We don’t see any progress in implementing” it.

Lavrov said Russia was “concerned with continued attempts to privatize the Annan Plan and to delegate the functions of evaluating its implementation to self-proclaimed structures,” including the so-called Friends of Syria group.

The Annan Plan calls for the withdrawal of heavy weapons and troops from Syrian cities and towns, unhampered access to humanitarian aid for those in need, as well as talks between the government and opposition.

A group of UN observers has been sent to Syria to monitor a ceasefire between government and opposition forces, which has been in place since Thursday as part of the Annan Plan.

 

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