UN envoy to meet Syria president, opposition

The UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition leaders in Damascus during a peace mission to the country. Annan's first visit to Damascus, which starts on Saturday, will last about 24 hours. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that Annan, his predecessor as UN secretary general, plans to meet with the Syrian opposition before leaving the country on Sunday. Earlier on Friday, armed groups in Syria rejected a Thursday proposal by the former UN chief to renounce violence and seek a political solution to the Syrian unrest. The US, Britain, France and countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey have supported measures against the Syrian government.

"The UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition leaders in Damascus during a peace mission to the country"Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011. Hundreds of people, including security forces, have been killed in the violence. The Syrian government says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence