UN planning team arrives in Damascus

GENEVA - A UN planning team led by Norwegian Major-General Robert Mood has arrived in Damascus on Thursday, according to UN-Arab League joint special envoy on Syria Kofi Annan.

Annan was briefing the UN General Assembly from Geneva Via video-link, when he said that Mood's team has arrived in Syria "to start technical preparations for the potential deployment of observers to monitor a cessation of armed violence and the full implementation of the six-point plan."

Acknowledging that the Security Council has expressed its full support for an effective UN supervision of a sustained cessation of armed violence, and its readiness to consider proposals and authorize a mission should circumstances permit, Annan said the Syrian government had committed to accepting such a mission, and opposition groups were expressing their readiness to cooperate.

Despite progresses made, Annan expressed his view that violence in Syria could not be addressed through the means of a traditional observer mission interposed between two armies.

"The situation is fluid," he said, noting that "there is no established frontline" and "peace will not be consolidated without a credible political process."

Annan urged a small and nimble UN presence to be deployed quickly on the ground, with a broad and flexible mandate.

"Its freedom of movement throughout the country and security must be assured. It should engage all relevant parties. It should constantly and rapidly observe, establish and assess facts and conditions on the ground in an objective manner," he said.