Islam Times - UK impedes Annan’s peace plan for Syria

Islam Times - The British government has opposed International mediator and UN special envoy Kofi Annan’s suggestion that Iran should be involved in any “solution” to the unrest in Syria.

On Thursday 7 June, Annan stated that Iran should play a key role in the peaceful political solution to Syria’s unrest, saying “Iran, as an important country in the region, I hope will be part of the solution.”

Annan stressed the importance of Iran in the Middle East as he proposed the creation of a “contact group” of world and regional powers in order to successfully implement his peace plan for Syria.

Britain that has repeatedly claimed that Annan’s peace plan for Syria has not been successful opposed Annan’s proposals with a UK Foreign Office minister saying Iran’s involvement would make any solution “unworkable.”

“It's very difficult to see how Iran could be part of that because of its activity. Iran is a country which is supporting some of the unacceptable violence and supporting the Syrian regime in what it's doing to the Syrian people. So seeing their involvement, I think it would render it unworkable,” claimed Alistair Burt, Britain’s Middle East minister.

Burt’s claims come as the British government has often said it would support armed rebels in Syria and recent reports from The Daily Star showing Britain’s Special Air Service (SAS) and MI6 agents setting up camps in Syria to help armed rebels.

This comes as the very same armed rebels who are being supported by Britain are the ones who claim Iran is fueling the unrest in Syria. Their only evidence is the passports and compulsory national service certificates of Iranian engineers and pilgrims they have abducted.

This is not the first time Britain decides to impede Annan’s plan. Earlier in March, after Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad accepted Annan’s peace plan, British Foreign Secretary William Hague announced Britain would provide Syria’s armed rebels with half a million pounds.