DAMASCUS
UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan has arrived in Damascus, Syria on Monday.
He will hold meetings with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mualem today, and President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday.
Annan, who was appointed as UN-Arab League special envoy three months ago, is visiting Syria for the second time.
Annan presented a peace plan for Syria crisis in March. The six-point peace plan includes demands for a ceasefire, the immediate withdrawal of heavy armor from residential areas and access for humanitarian aid.
The plan was presented to Syrian President al-Assad on March 10 and accepted by him on March 27.
The ceasefire came into effect on April 12, but although the overall level of violence has dropped since then, al-Assad's government has been accused of failing to abide by key terms of the truce plan, including pulling all forces from urban areas and allowing peaceful demonstrations.
Death toll reached over 13,000 since the anti-regime protests began in Syria in March 2011.
-Annan's six-point peace plan-
The ceasefire is the key part of special envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan, which was presented to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on March 10 and accepted by him on March 27.
Here is a text of the proposal which calls on the Syrian authorities to:
(1) Commit to work with the Envoy in an inclusive Syrian-led political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people, and, to this end, commit to appoint an empowered interlocutor when invited to do so by the Envoy.
(2) Commit to stop the fighting and achieve urgently an effective United Nations-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians and stabilize the country.
To this end, the Syrian government should immediately cease troop movements towards, and end the use of heavy weapons in, population centers, and begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centers.
As these actions are being taken on the ground, the Syrian government should work with the Envoy to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism.
Similar commitments would be sought by the Envoy from the opposition and all relevant elements to stop the fighting and work with him to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism;
(3) Ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and to this end, as immediate steps, to accept and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause and to coordinate exact time and modalities of the daily pause through an efficient mechanism, including at local level;
(4) Intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons, including especially vulnerable categories of persons, and persons involved in peaceful political activities, provide without delay through appropriate channels a list of all places in which such persons are being detained, immediately begin organizing access to such locations and through appropriate channels respond promptly to all written requests for information, access or release regarding such persons;
(5) Ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists and a non-discriminatory visa policy for them;
(6) Respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully as legally guaranteed.
