New York: Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League special envoy for Syria, is set to meet President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to press for an immediate end to violence that has killed thousands of people in the country in the past one year.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he spoke on phone to Annan and Secretary General of the League of Arab States Nabil ElAraby and discussed concerns of the international community that "all violence must stop, either by government forces (or) opposition forces" in Syria.
Ban said Annan will meet Assad as well as civil society leaders in Damascus today.
The UN Secretary General said he has strongly urged Annan to "ensure that there must be an immediate ceasefire... If that can be agreed immediately at the same time, that would be fine - Government forces, then the opposition should also stop their fighting".
Ban told reporters here that Annan would also urge Assad to facilitate all humanitarian assistance and access to those affected by the fighting and violence in Syria.
Annan would be engaging broadly with government officials, civil society and humanitarian community in Damascus as well as with opposition forces outside Syria and convey the message that inclusive political solution is must to end the crisis.
He is expected to visit only Damascus and may not visit other areas in Syria on this trip, Ban added.
Annan, the former UN chief, was named last month as the Joint Special UN and Arab League envoy for Syria. The UN estimates that over 7,500 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising against Assad's government began a year ago.
Last week, the UN's humanitarian chief Valerie Amos had also visited Syria to assess the humanitarian crisis in the country.
Ban said Amos had visited the cities of Homs and Baba Amr, which were "completely destroyed" by the violence. "The places she visited were terrible. She was extremely concerned... There were no people. Almost nobody left. They must have relocated somewhere. This is quite a serious and alarming situation in terms of humanitarian assistance and human rights," Ban said.
Amos has proposed "robust and sustainable" humanitarian framework which can be done through a letter of understanding.
Syrian authorities have said that they will consider her proposal. "But I think that basically they have agreed that there should be a humanitarian assessment mission to be deployed. That is what they have agreed," Ban said.
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