West and Russia agree on plan to form transition government for Syria

Foreground left to right: Ban Ki Moon, Annan and Lavrov. 



The Syrian crisis will be resolved by a transition government consisting of the current authorities and opposition leaders. The proposal was announced by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan after talks in Geneva.
The unity government should be formed on the basis of mutual consent, said Annan. The Syrian-led transition should take place within a fixed period of time.
Annan, announcing the official communiqué of the international meeting in Geneva, called on the Syrian regime and opposition groups to start implementing his six-point peace plan immediately, without waiting for the other side.
The envoy stressed several times that it is up to Syrians to determine their political future.
Earlier, the Official UN envoy to Syria had proposed a plan for a unity government in Syria excluding political figures that compromise the country’s stability, effectively calling for the removal of President Assad. But Russia had refused to back such a provision.