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Annan to visit to Moscow to discuss Syrian crisis

Lavrov and Annan are likely to discuss a three-month extension of the mandate of the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS)
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

GENEVA, July 13 (Itar-Tass) —— The Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for the Syrian Crisis, Kofi Annan, will travel to Moscow on July 16-17, his spokesperson Ahmad Fawzi said.

Annan is scheduled to have talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss the latest events in the Syrian crisis.

A source in the Foreign Ministry told Itar-Tass on Friday, July 13, that “the talks will focus on the current situation around Syria and prospects for the resolution of the internal conflict in Syria”.

Lavrov and Annan are likely to discuss a three-month extension of the mandate of the U.N. Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) that expires on the night from July 20 to July 21.

Under resolution 2043, the Council established UNSMIS - for three months and with up to 300 unarmed military observers - in April to monitor the cessation of violence in Syria, as well as monitor and support the full implementation of a six-point peace plan. In mid-June, UNSMIS suspended its monitoring activities due to an escalation of violence.

Russia has submitted the relevant draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council, which has been supported by China. However the reaction of Britain, the United States and France is not clear yet. Their statements made up to date generally boil down to that the Russian draft resolution does not meet the expectations of the international community and they may come up with their own draft.

This will be Annan’s second trip to Moscow as a special envoy. On March 24 he was in Moscow to discuss Syrian settlement with Lavrov and then President Dmitry Medvedev.