BICOM

Kofi Annan has ordered an emergency summit on the deepening Syrian crisis, as fighting edges closer to Damascus. The summit, to be held in Geneva on Saturday, is expected to outline the transition to a national unity government, as well as an international ‘contact group’ to monitor the situation.

The summit will bring together the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, representatives of the Arab League and countries bordering Syria. Despite Syrian demands, Iran will not take part in the talks. However, Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, which has strongly advocated regime change, will also not be represented.

The worsening situation in Syria, which President Bashar al-Assad now admits is a state of war, has increased pressure to find a solution. Russia, which had insisted that the Syrian people decide on its future, appears now to have withdrawn its blanket support for Assad. A Russian deal to supply Syria with an advanced surface-to-air missile system appears to have been put on hold in recent days. Israeli leaders voiced concerns about Syria acquiring the S300 missile system in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Jerusalem last week.