The United Nations General Assembly voted on a Saudi-drafted resolution on Syria Friday, just a day after Kofi Annan announced his resignation as U.N.-Arab League envoy to the war-torn country. Annan blamed a lack of international support and “finger-pointing and name calling” in the Security Council. The White House also placed blame on the Security Council, specifically members like Russia and China, which vetoed three separate resolutions threatening Syria with sanctions.
Meanwhile, U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous says the main battle for the Syrian city of Aleppo is about to start where there has been a considerable buildup of military means. With such a salvo of developments, the U.S. has to think of its policy options.
U.S. Ambassador Richard Murphy, a former assistant secretary of state for Near East and South Asian Affairs and former ambassador to Syria, calls for an Iranian role in solving the Syrian crisis. He speaks with VOA’s Mohamed Elshinnawi.
- Points of View, U.S. Policy Options in Syria, August 03, 2012Mohamed Elshinnawi speaks with Ambassador Richard Murphy Download
Mohamed Elshinnawi
Egyptian-American Mohamed Elshinnawi is a senior reporter at VOA. He covered the Middle East peace process from Camp David in 1978 through the 1993 Oslo Agreements to Syrian-Israeli talks in 2000. He interviewed Arab heads of state, prime ministers, foreign ministers and as well as ranking U.S. officials, including members of Congress. He hosted "Dialogue with the West," a live TV show which, broadcast via satellite from Washington, reached 35 million Arabs. He is fluent in Arabic and English.
