Annan arrives in Syria to mediate crisis

DAMASCUS - Kofi Annan, the joint special envoy of the UN and Arab League (AL) for Syria, arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Saturday to mediate the year-long crisis.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that Annan is scheduled to talk with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad upon arrival, adding that envoy's priority is to immediately halt all fighting by government forces and opposition fighters - if not simultaneously, then first by government troops and followed by the opposition.

Kofi Annan attends a meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Al Araby at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo March 8, 2012.[Photo/Agencies]

"Annan will be meeting also with some civilian society leaders and whoever he may think necessary; he will be engaged in broadly with the government officials and civil society and humanitarian community," the secretary-general said.

Last month, the UN and AL jointly appointed former UN head Kofi Annan as a special envoy to handle the year-long crisis in Syria, and Syria extended welcome to Annan's upcoming visit last Monday.