Kofi Annan Warns Against Syria Escalation

The UN-Arab League envoy on the Syrian crisis, Kofi Annan, has warned of an "escalation" of the conflict to the rest of the Middle East unless it is handled carefully.

He voiced his fears of the troubles affecting the rest of the region as he called on the divided UN Security Council to overcome its deadlock and act to end the violence.

The bloody revolt against Syrian President Bashar al Assad has entered a second year with no sign of a political solution.

Neighbouring countries are worried about the fallout from the uprising.

Mr Annan gave his warning as he ordered a team of UN experts to Damascus this weekend to discuss setting up a new international monitoring mission.

The former UN secretary-general said: "We tend to focus on Syria, but any miscalculation that leads to major escalation will have impact in the region which would be extremely difficult to manage.

"The region is extremely concerned about developments in Syria.

"Their concern goes beyond Syria itself because the crisis can have a serious impact for the whole region if it is not handled effectively."

A new draft resolution on Syria is currently being considered by the UN Security Council.

Two previous resolutions aimed at halting the deadly civil conflict have been vetoed by Russia and China.

He told the council in New York by videolink: "The stronger and more unified your message, the better chance we have of shifting the dynamics of the conflict."

Crisis talks between Mr Annan and Mr Assad earlier this week ended without a deal to end the bloodshed.

Syrian forces are continuing their military offensive in the northern province of Idlib - driving 1,000 refugees across the Turkish border - resulting in dozens more civilian deaths, according to reports.

Some 45 civilians were killed in frontier province Idlib, including 23 whose bodies were found with their hands tied behind their backs, as well as five army deserters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

The bloodshed and continued flow of refugees has prompted Turkey to suggest it might support a "buffer zone" inside Syria, a move likely to enrage Damascus.

Turkey set up a buffer zone along the border with Iraq during the Gulf War in the early 1990s, when tens of thousands of refugees headed towards Turkish territory.

The United Nations said about 230,000 Syrians have been displaced from their homes, including 30,000 who have fled abroad, raising the prospect of a regional refugee crisis.

The government has blamed foreign powers and terrorist gangs for the chaos and say 2,000 soldiers have died in the uprising.

Four members of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) announced the closures of their embassies in Syria in protest against its violent crackdown on anti-Assad activists, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said, quoting a statement by GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al Zayani.

Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Qatar were to close their embassies, after Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the other two GCC members, announced embassy closures on Wednesday.

In an orchestrated show of support for Mr Assad, huge crowds took to the streets of Syria's cities on Thursday.

It marked the first anniversary of the unrest which started as largely peaceful protests against four decades of iron rule by the Assad dynasty.

Opposition activists said pro-Assad forces shot at crowds in various locations when they tried to protest against the 46-year-old leader.

Syria said it has given a "positive" response to Mr Annan's approach and a Middle Eastern diplomat characterised the reply from Damascus as "not a 'No'".

But a senior Western diplomat in the region said Damascus had spurned Mr Annan's ideas.