FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy for Syria Kofi Annan Before Their Meeting
Remarks Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Treaty Room
Washington, DC
June 8, 2012
SECRETARY CLINTON: It is an honor to welcome here to the State Department the Joint Special Envoy, former Secretary General, friend and colleague Kofi Annan to continue the discussions that he’s been having with us and with many others around the world, including at the Security Council yesterday, about how to engender a greater response by the Government of Syria to the six-point plan that he has put forth. And I’m looking forward to the discussions that we will have together.
JOINT SPECIAL ENVOY ANNAN: Syria is a real, real challenge. And I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to discuss with Secretary of State Madam Hillary Clinton the issues involved, how we can put additional pressure on the government, on the parties to get the plan implemented. We had a very serious discussion yesterday in the Security Council, as well as in the General Assembly, and everyone is looking for a solution.
Some say the plan may be dead. Is the problem the plan or the problem is implementation? If it’s implementation, how do we get action on that? And if it’s the plan, what other options do we have?
So all these questions are now being discussed, and we are also exploring how we can work with other governments in the region and around the world to achieve our goals.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, all.
