Kofi Annan resigned from the post of Special Envoy of the UN and Arab League

Kofi Annan resigned from the post of Special Envoy of the UN and Arab League to mediate the conflict in Syria, today announced the organization's secretary general, Ban Ki-moon said in a statement.

Annan said the UN and Arab League "of its intention not to renew the mandate which expires on August 31, 2012," said Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. 

Former UN Secretary-General had been appointed to 23 February to mediate Syrian, but the peace plan that had six points and providing for the cessation of fighting between government forces and opposition fighters was never implemented.

Ban expressed "very deep gratitude (the Annan) for their efforts brave and determined" and lamented his departure.

 The secretary-general said he had started consultations with his counterpart of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi, to "promptly appoint" a successor to Annan that it can continue efforts to The United Nations remains "committed to diplomatic efforts to end violence" in Syria, Ban stressed, lamenting that "the divisions that persist in the Security Council have been transformed into an obstacle to diplomacy, making the job more difficult by the mediator," a reference implicit in the fact that Moscow and Beijing have prevented the adoption of several resolutions.

"Tragically, the spiral of violence continues in Syria," he said.

"The government and opposition forces continue to show its determination to escalate the violence," said Ban Ki-moon.