1.3m illicit arms circulating in Ghana

Πηγή: GhanaWeb
18 Nov 2015

Over 1.3 million weapons believed to have been smuggled into Ghana are not registered, according to preliminary investigations conducted by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center.

Chairman of the commission on small arms and light weapons, Brigadier General Francis Agyemfra is concerned about the security of the state and wants measures in place to retrieve the weapons.

“We are very much concerned about the spread of illicit arms and their possible impact on our democracy especially those that could be triggered by violence," Brigadier Gen Francis Agyemfra (RTD) said.

Executive Secretary of the Small Arms Commission, Jones Aplerh, says the finding by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre is worrying.

“As at 2004 the number of illicit weapons was around 240,000”, said Mr Aplerh, stressing the recent figures is cause for concern.

He however, explained that the methodology used by the Kofi Annan centre could have well overblown the current situation.

He said the Kofi Annan centre made its assessment of the number of small arms weapons based on civilian weapons that we have licensed on the database of the Small Arms Commission.

He said current number of registered civilian arms stood at 1.2 million.

“It may give a clear picture, or it may even more than [the 1.3 million figure] or less than that,” he said about the figure quoted by the report.

According to Mr Aplerh, the number of weapons in the country should not be the source of concern.

"What we need to worry about is the demand-driven factors; the long-standing land and cheiftaincy issues", he pointed out.

He said government agencies and other stakeholders must work together to settle desputes in violence hotspots.

"Tricked" in Libya - Kofi Annan On Why Russia and China won't budge on Syria

Kofi Annan during his trip to Syria in March

Πηγή: Worldcrunch
By Nathalie Nougayrede (Le Monde)
July 9 2012

In an interview with Le Monde, Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League special envoy to Syria, concedes that his mission has so far been a failure. He speaks frankly about Russia and China, but also suggests more focus on Iran and others in coming clean on their interests.

Kofi Annan continues his efforts to broker a peace deal in Syria, with a meeting Monday in Damascus with President Bashar Al-Assad. In an exclusive interview published Sunday in Le Monde, Annan speaks with notable frankness about why his mission has not succeeded, including a lack of trust from Moscow and Beijing and not enough attention on Tehran's intentions.

LE MONDE: Syria has been plagued by violence for the past 16 months, and things seem to be getting worse. By some counts, there have been 16,000 deaths, there are 1.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid and 100,000 have fled to neighboring countries.

KOFI ANNAN: The crisis started 16 months ago, but I only got involved three months ago. We made important efforts to try and deal with the situation peacefully and politically. Clearly, we haven’t succeeded. And there is no guarantee that we will eventually succeed. Have we thought about alternatives? Have we put other options on the table? That’s what I told the UN Security Council, adding that the mission was limited in time and so was my own role.

The statement on “political transition” in Syria drafted on June 30 in Geneva doesn’t include a deadline. Doesn’t that give Bashar Al-Assad another opportunity to buy time?

We didn’t include a deadline in order to underline the fact that the Syrians themselves have to lead the process. We don’t want to impose anything, nothing unrealistic. A deadline can only result from negotiations.

You seem to be banking on Russia’s influence. What makes you think Russia has any incentive to “produce” a transition in Syria?

Is there an alternative? Russia, like many other countries involved in this case, has interests in Syria and in the region. If you agree that there are also common interests, in the medium and long term, then the question becomes: how do we protect those interests?

More than anything we must think of the Syrians and those who live in the region. I hope reason will prevail, at least regarding the protection of the interests of different states. In this case, it is in Russia’s and other countries’ interest to find a way of working together.

Is the most realistic scenario to have Russians push for a change in policy in Syria, while making sure that the security apparatus remains heavily linked to them?

Many factors are at play here. Events are created by many actors. Russia has influence, but I’m not sure events will be determined by Russia alone.

Are you referring to Iran?

Iran is an actor and so it should be a part of the solution. It has influence and we cannot ignore that. (Westerns powers refused to have Iran take par in the June 30 action group.)

What strikes me is that there are so many comments made about Russia, while Iran isn’t mentioned; and more importantly, few things are said about other countries sending arms, money and weighing in on the situation on the ground. All these countries pretend they want a peaceful solution, but they take individual and collective actions that go against the meaning of the Security Council resolutions. The fact that everyone is focusing solely on the Russians makes them very irritated.

The Syrian opposition thinks that the Geneva statement makes too many concessions, particularly to Russia.

It’s a shame that the opposition reacted this way. The Geneva statement was written by a group in which 80% of countries belong to the friends of Syria group (on July 6 they called for Bashar Al-Assad’s departure from power.) That’s why it’s odd to claim that the opposition was “betrayed” or “sold out.”

Without a real truce, does it make sense to have about 300 UN observers on the ground?

People say that the unarmed observers weren’t able to stop the violence, but that was never their role! They went into Syria to see whether both sides were respecting their pledge to stop the violence.

In Syria, what’s left of the “responsibility to protect,” a concept you helped create as UN Secretary General after the Bosnian war and the Rwandan genocide?

Honestly, the way the “responsibility to protect” was used in Libya created a problem for the concept. The Russians and the Chinese believe they were tricked. They had agreed on a UN resolution, which was then transformed into a process of regime change, which wasn’t the initial goal according to these countries. Whenever we talk about Syria, there’s that elephant in the room.

Can military defections, especially that of General Tlass, be a result of diplomacy?

We’ve been reading reports on defections and the most recent case involves a very important figure, but it’s hard to determine what triggered these decisions.

Syria ceasefire 'fragile', Russia claims

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad with Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

Πηγή: The Telegraph
April 17 2012

Russia has said the ceasefire in Syria is "fragile", as Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister, urged countries to put more pressure on the armed opposition to co-operated with Kofi Annan's peace plan.

The claims came as activists said the Assad regime widened shelling attacks on opposition strongholds, in a fresh sign that the ceasefire is quickly unravelling.

"There really are those who are interested in the failure of Kofi Annan's plan and they actually mentioned that (opinion) even before this plan was made public," Mr Lavrov said without naming specific countries.

Russia has previously condemned some Arab states for agreeing to provide funding to the opposition Free Syrian Army.

"There are countries – there are outside forces – that are not interested in the success of current UN Security Council efforts," Mr Lavrov said.

Russia and China jointly blocked two UN Security Council resolutions on the 13-month crisis before backing on Saturday a decision to send observers to monitor the two sides' co-operation with Annan's six-point initiative.

Moscow backed the resolution after successfully insisting on including one Russian officer in the observers group.

Sergei Ryabkov, deputy foreign minister, said Russia would be "substantially" represented in the mission.

"The specifics of our participation in the observers mission are being worked on right now," Interfax quoted Mr Ryabkov as saying.

"Without a well-functioning observers mission working in the field, it is impossible to obtain a reliable and objective picture of what is happening."

Russia has been the focus of some Syrian protesters' outrage for previously refusing to condemn President Bashar al-Assad's forces for violence that the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday had killed 11,117 people.

Moscow has in recent weeks been more critical of Assad in public and condemned him for failing to pursue some of Russia's recommendations for ending the violence.

Russia on Monday also hosted members of the National Coordinating Committee for Democratic Change – a splinter opposition group that was not invited to the latest Friends of Syria meeting in Istanbul.

Its Chairman Hassan Abdel Azim said on Tuesday that Assad had lost his authority and that talks with his regime were possible only under strict observance from foreign groups such as the Arab League and the European Union.

"The Syrian dialogue needs powerful and influential sponsors," Mr Azim said.

He called Annan's peace plan Syria's "last chance to put out the flames of fratricidal carnage."

Mr Azim's group is a Syrian-based alliance comprised of socialists as well as Arab nationalist parties and Kurds.

While the overall level of violence is down since the ceasefire formally took effect Thursday, the regime has stepped up attacks. The number of people killed every day has also risen steadily since a brief lull that coincided with the start of the truce. At least 26 people were reported killed on Monday.

In violence on Tuesday, army tanks shelled the southern town of Busra al-Harir, killing at least two people, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group. The town, about 45 miles south of the capital of Damascus, is a stronghold of the rebel Free Syrian Army.

Regime forces also shelled the Khaldiyeh neighbourhood in the central city of Homs, a centre of the rebellion against Assad, according to the Observatory. Homs has been under continuous regime attack, with only a short break on the first day of the ceasefire, activists said.

The regime appeared to be pushing to take control of the last rebel-held districts in Homs, said activists in the city. Khaldiyeh was shelled from three sides on Monday, and half of the nearby district of Bayada fell under the army's control over the weekend. Activists said Monday that the Free Syrian Army was holding its ground in the Qarabees and Jouret al-Shayah neighbourhoods.

On Monday, at least five people were killed in Homs shelling, the Observatory said. Across Syria, at least 26 people were killed Monday, including 10 in a daylong gun battle between rebel fighters and the Syrian army in the northwestern town of Idlib, the group said.

Another activist group, the Local Coordination Committees, said at least 55 people were killed Monday, including 26 in Idlib.

Kofi Annan calls on Iran's help in Syria crisis

Πηγή: TheTelegraph
By AP

April 11 2012

Special envoy Kofi Annan said Wednesday in Tehran that Iran could help solve the crisis in Syria, where activists reported fresh violence a day before an international ceasefire is supposed to take effect.

Iran is one of Syria's strongest allies, and former UN chief Annan went there to bolster support for his faltering plan to stop the country's slide toward civil war.

"Iran, given its special relations with Syria, can be part of the solution," Annan said during a news conference with Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi. "The geopolitical location of Syria is such that any miscalculation and error can have unimaginable consequences."

The conflict in Syria is among the most explosive of the Arab Spring, in part because of the country's allegiances to powerful forces including Lebanon's Hizbollah and Shiite powerhouse Iran. The uprising that began more than a year ago seeks the ouster of authoritarian President Bashar al-Assad.

Iran has opposed any foreign intervention in the crisis and Salehi insisted that "change in Syria" should come under the leadership of Assad.

Syria's regime defied the Tuesday deadline to pull out troops from cities and towns that was set in the deal brokered by Annan and launched fresh attacks on rebellious areas.

But Annan insists there is still time to salvage the truce by 6am. Thursday, the deadline for government and rebel fighters to cease all hostilities.

"We've been in touch with them (Syrian rebels) and have had positive answers from them. ... I think by 6 in the morning on the 12th, Thursday, we should see a much improved situation on the ground," Annan said.

"It is possible to do it and it should be in the interests of the people of Syria," he added.

There was more violence on Wednesday, putting the chances of a truce even deeper in doubt. Syrian troops took control of large parts of villages and towns near the border with Turkey.

The Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, reported shelling of several rebel-held neighbourhoods in the central city of Homs. A second network, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said "tens of army vehicles" are deploying in the southern town of Maaraba.

The Observatory added that two people were killed in the eastern town of Qoriah during raids by regime force.

Activist Mohammed Abu Nasr said Syrian forces entered the border town of Azaz, about two miles (three kilometres) from the Turkish border and set homes of activists on fire.

In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, obtained by The Associated Press, Annan said Tuesday that Syria has not pulled troops and heavy military equipment out of cities and towns, and that the regime's last-minute conditions put the entire ceasefire at risk.

The council strongly backed Annan, with all 15 members – including Syrian allies China and Russia – approving a media statement expressing "deep concern" at the failure by Damascus to withdraw its troops and heavy equipment.

Clashes across Syria; Annan to brief UN

This image made from amateur video and released by the Syria media center Friday, March 23, 2012, purports to show Syrians pulling out the body of a man under the rubble of a building that was bombed in Homs, Syria. Syrian President Bashar Assad says he will spare no effort to make the mission of U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan a success but he demands that armed opponents commit to halting violence.

Πηγή: ajc

By ZEINA KARAM (AP)

April 2 2012

BEIRUT — Government and opposition forces clashed across Syria Monday as international envoy Kofi Annan prepared to brief the U.N. Security Council on the progress of his mission to ease the Syrian crisis. 

A new flurry of high-level diplomacy has failed to stop the violence in a year-old conflict the U.N. says has killed more than 9,000 people.

On Monday, more than 70 countries, including the United States, pledged to send millions of dollars and communications equipment to opposition groups inside Syria, signaling a growing belief that diplomacy and sanctions alone will not end the repression and push Syrian President Bashar Assad from power.

Participants at an international diplomatic conference in Istanbul Sunday said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are creating a fund to pay Syrian rebels fighters known as the Free Syrian Army and soldiers who defect from the regime. One delegate described the fund as a "pot of gold" to undermine Assad's army.

Participants confirmed the Gulf plan on condition of anonymity because details were still being worked out. One said the fund would involve several million dollars a month. It is said to be earmarked for salaries, but it was not clear whether there would be any effort to prevent the money from being used to buy arms, an issue that could prompt stronger accusations of military meddling.

As the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy, Annan has been pushing for a cease-fire to allow all sides to discuss a political solution. The Syrian government has said it accepts his plan while rejecting some of the steps it requires, like withdrawing its troops from towns and cities.

The opposition has also rejected dialogue with the regime, saying it has killed too many people to be part of a solution to the crisis.

Violence continued in Syria Monday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces killed two people in arrest raids in the northern Idlib province. In the south, rebels killed two soldiers in attacks on checkpoints, the group said.

In the northern city of Aleppo, explosives stashed in a kiosk blew up, killing one person.

Activists' claims could not be independently verified. The Syrian government rarely comments on specific incidents and bars most media from working inside the country.

Syria's uprising began in March 2011 as part of the Arab Spring with peaceful protests calling for political reforms. Assad's regime sent tanks, snipers and thugs to try to quash the revolt, and many in the opposition have taken up arms to defend themselves and attack government troops.

Arab League summit in Iraq discusses Annan’s Syria peace plan

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari (R) supported Kofi Annan’s plan on Syria at the Arab summit in Baghdad. 

Πηγή: Al Arabiya News
March 28 2012

Arab foreign ministers discussed a draft resolution calling on Syria’s government to hold talks with the opposition and to end the violence in the country as they met at an Arab League summit in Baghdad on Wednesday.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari at the summit said it is better for Kofi Annan’s plan on Syria to succeed rather than the conflict become highlighted again at the United Nations Security Council.

The plan by U.N.-Arab League’s special envoy Kofi Annan stipulates that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pull his troops and heavy weapons from cities before peace talks with his opponents.

A continuing Syrian army offensive is part of the regime’s efforts to overrun rebel strongholds as it tries to crush an unprecedented year-long revolt, which according to the U.N. has claimed the lives of more than 9,000 people.

“We cannot be neutral towards the daily killings in Syria,” Zebari told Arab officials at the summit.

“The Baghdad summit comes as an important step in light of the [recent] changes in the [Arab] region,” he added.

The Arab League suspended Syria last year and has in the past called on Assad to step aside to allow talks. But members are split over how to handle increasing violence that threatens to inflame the region’s complex ethnic and sectarian mix.

‘Saddam Hussein’s palace’

Meanwhile, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that Kuwait’s emir will attend the Arab summit in Iraq, hailing progress in ties and urging Baghdad to fulfill obligations for its 1990 invasion of the emirate.

Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah is to attend the summit on Thursday in Baghdad, in the first visit by a Kuwaiti head of state since Saddam Hussein’s invasion of August 1990, Ban said following talks in Kuwait City.

“This conference is being held in the palace of Saddam Hussein, where plans for the invasion of Kuwait were made,” Zebari said in a political reference to Kuwait.

“I urge Iraq to fulfill its longstanding obligations to Kuwait ... especially in regards with the missing people, Kuwaiti property, compensation” and maintenance of border marks between the two nations, Ban said.

The U.N. chief welcomed the “progress in the normalization of relations between Iraq and Kuwait,” adding that the visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to Kuwait earlier this month was a positive step.

Earlier, Ban and Sheikh Sabah held talks on the crisis in Syria, relations with Iraq and the Arab summit, the U.N. chief told a press conference in the Kuwaiti capital on his way to also attending the summit.

Annan says Syria accepts peace plan, fighting enters Lebanon

Πηγή: Reuters
By Chris Buckley and Oliver Holmes
March 27 2012

Syria has accepted a ceasefire and peace plan drawn up by U.N. and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan, his spokesman said on Tuesday, even as Syrian troops thrust into Lebanon to battle rebels who had taken refuge there.

Annan conceded he faced a "long and difficult task" in ending the fighting, as rebel group leaders meeting in Turkey weighed how to unite their fractured movement and boost foreign backing for a year-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

On a visit to Beijing, Annan told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that global cooperation with China and other countries was the only way to defuse the conflict, whose sectarian dimensions have raised fear it could spread and destabilize the wider region.

"I indicated that I had received a response from the Syrian government and will be making it public today, which is positive, and we hope to work with them to translate it into action," Annan told reporters after meeting Wen.

Annan's spokesman confirmed the Damascus had accepted the six-point peace plan, which the U.N. Security Council has endorsed and Annan called an "important initial step".

Annan said it dealt with "political discussions, withdrawal of heavy weapons and troops from population centers, humanitarian assistance being allowed in unimpeded, release of prisoners, freedom of movement and access for journalists to go in and out.

"We've had very good discussions about the situation in Syria and they (China) have offered their full support," he said. "They're going to work with me and the other members of the Council to ensure that the six-point plan is implemented.

"So we will need to see how we move ahead and implement this agreement that they have accepted," said Annan.

The former U.N. secretary general, who flew to China from Russia, was trying to persuade Assad's two most powerful allies to help advance his proposal which, crucially, does not insist on Assad stepping down right now - unlike previous plans which Moscow and Beijing vetoed at the Security Council. Arab leaders were expected to endorse it later this week at a Baghdad summit.

Annan appealed for Beijing's support and advice, according to a pool report. "And I know you've already been helpful but this is going to be a long difficult task and I am sure that together we can make a difference," Annan told Wen.

BORDER INCURSION

Underlining his uphill challenge, Syrian troops advanced into north Lebanon, destroying farm building and clashing with Syrian rebels holed up there, residents said.

They said Syrian forces crossed a few hundred meters into Lebanese territory. A security source in Beirut said clashes had taken place near the poorly marked border but did not confirm Syrian troops had entered Lebanon.

Shells hit north Lebanon last week and residents say Syrian troops have briefly crossed the frontier while pursuing fleeing rebels in recent months.

"More than 35 Syrian soldiers came across the border and started to destroy houses," said Abu Ahmed, 63, a resident of the mainly Sunni Muslim rural mountain area of al-Qaa.

Another resident said that the soldiers, some travelling in armored personnel vehicles, fired rocket-propelled grenades and exchanged heavy machinegun fire with rebels. He said soldiers destroyed one house with a bulldozer.

The Lebanese army blocked off the area, where hundreds of Syrian refugees -- some of them active members of the rebel Free Syrian Army -- have fled a year-long revolt by mostly Sunni Muslim Syrians against Assad, a member of his country's Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

Residents said the Syrian troops remained 200-500 meters inside Lebanese territory.

The United Nations says more than 8,000 people have been killed in Syria's upheaval over the past year. Syrian authorities blame foreign-backed terrorists for the violence and say 3,000 soldiers and police have been killed.

Western and Arab governments which would be glad to see Assad ousted are wary of what might replace the 40-year-old family dynasty and its ruthless but predictable police state.

Security appears to be fraying in many parts of Syria despite repeated army offensives to regain rebellious territory. Activists said the government was struggling to hold such areas for long, with rebels swiftly re-emerging, as they have in Homs.

RUSSIAN, CHINESE VETOES

Russia and China have hitherto shielded Assad from Security Council condemnation by vetoing two Western-backed resolutions over the bloodshed, but approved a Security Council statement this week endorsing Annan's mission.

Shifting from its initial unqualified backing of Damascus, Russia has given Annan's proposal its full backing and said it could be Assad's "last chance" to avoid a protracted and bloody civil war.

Russia's only naval base outside the former Soviet Union is on the Mediterranean coast of Moscow's longtime ally, Syria.

Wen told Annan that "the efforts to seek a solution to the Syrian crisis are at a critical juncture. We do believe that your mediation efforts will lead to progress in seeking a solution to the Syrian issue".

Western and Arab leaders are due to meet in Istanbul on April 1 to discuss a political transition and the Arab League and Turkey were pressing various wings of the Syrian opposition gathered in the city to try to unite.

MORE SHOOTING, SHELLING

Opposition activists reported several civilian casualties in shooting late Monday and overnight in the cities of Idlib and Homs, in fighting between government forces and rebels.

Video posted on the internet by activists showed thick black smoke and blazing buildings in a district of Homs. There were wounded and bleeding men and women lying in a street.

In northern Lebanon, residents said Syrian troops pursuing rebels crossed the border and opened fire on farm buildings.

About 300 Syrian opposition representatives from various gathered near Istanbul at the invitation of Turkey and Qatar, which holds the rotating chair of the Arab League.

Burhan Ghalioun, president of the Syrian National Council, wants factions to take a "national oath" pledging a democratic state and national reconciliation once Assad is removed.

A draft declaration said the new Syria will be "civic, democratic and totally free", with a new constitution.

Some leading dissidents recently quit the SNC, dismayed both by Ghalioun's leadership and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, which draws support from Syria's Sunni majority.

The opposition has so far rejected Assad's calls for dialogue saying it was too late. The crackdown has angered Arab countries including former allies Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which favor arming the rebels.

SECOND "FRIENDS OF SYRIA" CONFERENCE

Their foreign ministers are due to meet on Sunday in Turkey for a second "Friends of Syria" conference, hoping to persuade Assad to withdraw the army from the cities, let humanitarian aid into the country, and allow a political transition.

Arab leaders will support a Syrian-led transfer of power, Iraq's foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Monday.

"There has to be a political solution, fundamental constitutional and political changes for transfer of power in Syria but through a Syrian-led process," Zebari said. "We are not in a position to dictate to the Syrians what of kind of president, what kind of leader they should have."

Assad has used the army to crush protests against his 12-year rule but his ruling Alawite Muslim minority and its allies still have substantial popular support in the country.

Annan had said on Monday that Assad's government could not resist the "winds of transformation", but it was too early to introduce any timeline for a peaceful solution.

"It is not practical to put forth timetables and timelines when you haven't got agreement from the parties," he said.

Kofi Annan's mission is Syria's last chance: Russia

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev (L) talks with UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan during their meeting in Moscow March 25, 2012.

Πηγή : The Times of India
By Reuters
March 25 2012

MOSCOW: Russian president Dmitry Medvedev voiced strong support on Sunday for UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's mission to end a year of violence in Syria, saying it could be the last chance to avert an even bloodier civil war.

"This may be the last chance for Syria to avoid a long-lasting and bloody civil war. Therefore we will offer you our full support at any level," Medvedev told Annan at a meeting at a Moscow airport.

Annan said that "Syria has an opportunity today to work with me and this mediation process to put an end to the conflict, to the fighting, allow access to those in need of humanitarian assistance as well as embark on a political process" that would lead to a peaceful settlement.

Russia, which accuses other nations of encouraging opponents of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, urged UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to work hard with the government and opposition to seek peace, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

In a meeting with Annan, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov "underscored the need to end violence from all sides and establish a broad Syrian political dialogue ... He called on the special envoy to work actively toward that aim with both the authorities and the opposition," a statement said.

Lavrov also said that to support Anna's mission, nations must refrain from interfering in Syria affairs or taking sides in the confrontation between the government and opponents.