Hillary Clinton warns situation ‘at a critical turning point’.
Syria and the UN have reached a preliminary deal on the deployment of observers for the country’s ceasefire, officials from both sides said, the BBC informs. A spokesman for peace envoy Kofi Annan said the agreement covered the observers’ functions and Syrian government’s responsibilities. It came after the UN secretary general said Syria was failing to comply with its peace plan obligations. The peace plan aims to end unrest which has killed at least 9,000 people. Annan’s spokesman stressed the importance of the latest deal, but also said there was still a long way to go. “The hard part lies ahead,” the statement said, in order to reach what it called “a truly Syrian-led and -owned political dialogue to address the legitimate concerns and aspirations of the Syrian people.”Earlier, in a letter to the UN Security Council, secretary general Ban Ki-moon called for the observer mission to be expanded from the small number already in the country to 300.There are continued reports of violence in Syria, threatening a ceasefire that began a week ago. However, Ban also said there was an “opportunity for progress”.Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the situation in Syria is “at a critical turning point.” She spoke ahead yesterday “Friends of Syria” meeting in Paris, where she was expected to join Arab and European foreign ministers.“Either we succeed in pushing forward with Kofi Annan’s plan in accordance with the Security Council direction with the help of monitors, steadily broadening and deepening a zone of non-conflict and peace, or we see Assad squandering his last chance before additional measures have to be considered,” Clinton stated.
The diplomatic daily newspaper Nine O’Clock does not assume responsibility for the information received and published on the public website. The responsibility for the content lies solely with the issuer of the press release.
The diplomatic daily newspaper Nine O’Clock cannot be held accountable for false information transmitted by the recipients of the press releases/announcements.
The diplomatic daily newspaper Nine O’Clock reserves the right not to publish press releases that contain inappropriate expressions or accusations and violations of the rights of other individuals, guaranteed by the Constitution of Romania.
The content of the website www.nineoclock.ro is intended for public information. Copying, reproduction, recompilation, modification, as well as any form of content exploitation from this website are prohibited. The use of the Comments section signifies your agreement to abide by the terms and conditions regarding the publication of comments on www.nineoclock.ro.
