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UN envoy Kofi Annan looks on before a meeting at his office at the United Nations Offices in Geneva on July 20, 2012.(Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)
United Nations special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, resigned Thursday amid heavy fighting between government forces and rebels in Aleppo and in other regions.
The announcement of the departure of Annan, who was also the joint Arab League envoy to Syria, made the announcement in a news conference by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon.
Annan outlined a six-part plan for ending the violence, but the situation only got worse.
“The hand extended to turn away from violence in favor of dialogue and diplomacy—as spelled out in the six-point plan—has not been taken, even though it still remains the best hope for the people of Syria,” Ban said in a release.
Ban also noted that the U.N.’s hands were tied on Syria due to “persistent divisions” in the Security Council, namely Russia and China vs. the Western states. Russia and China vetoed resolutions on Syria three times.
Ban said that he and Arab League chief, Nabil El Araby, are looking to find a successor to Annan.
“I remain convinced that yet more bloodshed is not the answer; each day of it will only make the solution more difficult while bringing deeper suffering to the country and greater peril to the region,” Ban said.
On Thursday, U.S. President, Barack Obama, approved sending an extra $12 million in humanitarian aid to Syrians caught up in the conflict between regime forces and rebels.
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