Monday, October 10, 2016

Syria a major challenge for the new UN chief by Bashir Goth

Security Council members often see the secretary-general as public servant than an independent political force, and a fall guy for when they mess up monumentally.

Now, whether the new secretary-general is going to be an obedient punching bag or a moral leader is to be seen, but the biggest task on his desk will be the horrific war in Syria and the worst humanitarian crisis it created. Three seasoned and world class diplomats, Kofi Annan, Lakhdar Brahimi and Staffan de Mistura, have all failed to find a solution to what Annan called “mission impossible.” Not because they were incapable men but because as Annan underlined, they lacked the unified support of the Security Council.

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