Pretoria - The joint United Nations-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has announced he will stand down from his role as mediator in the Syria conflict within weeks.
Annan, who made the announcement on Thursday, said it was impossible for him to push for a political solution in Syria because of a lack of united international pressure.
Annan's departure comes in the face of a 17-month armed rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad, whose violence shows no sign of abating. Annan said his role had been plagued by deep divisions within the international community over how to resolve the conflict.
He said the increasing militarization on the ground in Syria and the clear lack of unity in the UN Security Council had "fundamentally changed the circumstances for the effective exercise" of his role.
"Yet the bloodshed continues, most of all because of the Syrian government's intransigence and continuing refusal to implement the six-point plan, and also because of the escalating military campaign of the opposition - all of which is compounded by the disunity of the international community," the Joint Special Envoy said.
"At a time when we need - when the Syrian people desperately need action - there continues to be finger-pointing and name-calling in the Security Council," he added.
He noted that the June communiqu, of the UN-backed Action Group on Syria - which called for the establishment of a transitional governing body, with full executive powers, as part of important agreed principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led political transition - provided an international agreement on a framework for a political transition.
"This should have been automatically endorsed by the Security Council and something the international community should have built on," he said.
"Without serious, purposeful and united international pressure, including from the powers of the region, it is impossible for me, or anyone, to compel the Syrian government in the first place, and also the opposition, to take the steps necessary to begin a political process."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his deepest gratitude to Annan for the determined and courageous efforts he has made as the Joint Special Envoy for Syria.
"Kofi Annan deserves our profound admiration for the selfless way in which he has put his formidable skills and prestige to this most difficult and potentially thankless of assignments. He has worked within the mandate provided to him by the General Assembly and with the cooperation of various member states," Ban said.
He added: "We have worked closely together these past months, and I am indebted to him and his team for all they have tried to achieve. I will continue to draw on his wisdom and counsel, and on the work of the Office of the Joint Special Envoy."
Annan, a former UN Secretary-General, was appointed in late February to serve as the high-level representative of the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, providing good offices aimed at bringing an end to all violence and human rights violations, and promoting a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis.
Syria has been wracked by violence, with more than 10 000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 17 months ago. Over recent days, there have been reports of an escalation in violence in many towns and villages, as well as the country's two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.
As part of his efforts, Annan had put forward a six-point peace plan to help end the Syrian crisis. The plan calls for an end to violence, access for humanitarian agencies to provide relief to those in need, the release of detainees, the start of inclusive political dialogue, and unrestricted access to the country for the international media.
Despite initial signs of acceptance of the plan and repeated calls from UN officials, there has been little in the way of the plan's implementation by the parties to the conflict.
The UN Secretary-General is now consulting with his counterpart at the League of Arab States, in order to promptly appoint a successor who can carry on with the peace efforts.
The General Assembly is expected to hold a meeting on the consultations today.
