Annan Admits Syria Mission Failure

International envoy Kofi Annan acknowledged the failure so far of his mission to bring peace to Syria.

In comments published in French by the Le Monde newspaper, Annan was quoted as saying that significant efforts had been made to try to resolve the crisis peacefully and politically.

However, the plan had not been successful and perhaps there was no guarantee that it would succeed, he said.

The Annan plan, which insists on a cessation of violence by all sides, has made little headway, and activists say at least an estimated 16,500 people have now died since the uprising began in March last year.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon called on Friday for scaling down an observer mission in Syria to refocus on political efforts to end the bloodshed.

The former U.N. chief spoke of the importance of Russia -- a Damascus ally which has so far blocked international action against President Bashar Assad's regime -- while stressing that Iran should be involved in discussions.

The U.N.-Arab League envoy, whose plan called for a ceasefire that has been ignored on a daily basis since April, said Syria's ally Iran had a role to play in efforts to end the crisis despite U.S. opposition.

On Friday, some 100 countries and international organizations meeting in Paris urged the Security Council to adopt Annan's peace plan under Chapter VII of the organization’s charter.

The Annan plan, which insists on a cessation of violence by all sides, has made little headway and activists say at least 16,500 people have now been killed since the uprising began in March last year.

"We should go back and ask for a resolution in the Security Council that imposes real and immediate consequences for non-compliance, including sanctions," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.