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Lakhdar Brahimi, in a joint press conference with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday, announced that he would resign from his position as UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, and said that he was mostly frustrated by plans of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to hold elections in June. In the press conference in New York, Brahimi said he would step down on May 31st. For over a year, Brahimi has publicly stated the he was contemplating stepping down from his position in the UN.
Brahimi had organized two rounds of talks between the Assad government and members of the Syrian opposition in Geneva. While there was no progress in the negotiations, UN officials and diplomats say that Brahimi wanted to continue the talks in Geneva to find a negotiated solution which could stop the fighting, start a political transition and the process of reconciliation between opponents and supporters of Assad. However, when Syria had announced on April 21st that it would hold Presidential elections on June 3rd, Brahimi’s diplomatic efforts were dealt a severe blow.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said, “I thought we’d be able to deliver but because of divisions we have not been able to make any progress in the course of three years”. Ban said he accepted the resignation “with great regret”, and that replacement for the veteran Algerian peace negotiator and diplomat has not been chosen yet.Banpraised Brahimi, saying that he had faced “almost impossible odds” but “persevered with great patience”.
The Secretary-General blamed Assad’s government and the Syrian opposition for the resignation. “We were here to help them.I am urging them again to think of their own future this is their country, their future”, he said. Brahimi said that he was “very sad … (to) leave Syria behind in such a bad state”.
The Syrian National Council, the coalition opposition in Syria, said in a statement that it appreciates Brahimi trying to bring a settlement to the conflict, and it will remain committed to the political process. “But it is clear that the regime will not desist from its brutal military campaign and engage in a political process until it is compelled to do so. That will require concerted international pressure that has so far been lacking”, it said.