Kofi Annan Named Envoy as Pressure Mounts on Syria

The U.N. named its former leader Kofi Annan as special envoy for Syria on the eve of an international conference Friday aimed at pressuring the Assad regime to halt the rising spiral of violence.

Amid international outrage over the deaths of two Western journalists and reports of intensified shelling of civilians, Annan was called on to represent both the U.N. and the Arab League in ending "violence and human rights violations, and promoting a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis," the two bodies said in a statement Thursday.

The appointment came on the day international investigators submitted a list of Syrian military and political officials suspected of possible crimes against humanity while the death toll continued to mount inside the country.

More than 7,500 people have been killed in 11 months of protests against President Bashar Assad and there is growing international pressure for an initiative seeking to end the murderous government crackdown.

Western and Arab powers are to push Syria to allow in desperately needed humanitarian aid at an international conference in Tunis Friday.

More than 60 nations are gathering for the crucial "Friends of Syria" conference, which will also seek to further isolate Assad's regime and support the country's opposition.

But the Arab League-organized conference of Arab and Western officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will be marked by a Russian boycott and the absence of China.

Both countries have frustrated efforts to rein in Assad's regime, including by vetoing U.N. Security Council resolutions.

An early draft of the meeting's declaration being circulated by opposition sources Thursday said it could call for the Syrian government "to implement an immediate ceasefire and to allow free and unimpeded access by the U.N.... and humanitarian agencies."

"We look forward to concrete progress on three fronts: providing humanitarian relief, increasing pressure on the regime, and preparing for a democratic transition," Clinton told reporters in London on the eve of the talks.

"To that end, we hope to see new pledges of emergency assistance for Syrians caught in Assad's stranglehold, and international coordination and diplomatic pressure on Damascus to allow it to get to those who need it most."