Hope remains for Syria despite Annan's resignation

By Zhao Shengnan in Beijing and Zhang Yuwei at the United Nations | China Daily | Updated: 2012-08-04 07:47

UN-Arab League mediator Kofi Annan addresses a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva on Thursday. Annan is stepping down as mediator in the 17-month-old Syria conflict at the end of the month, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. Denis Balibouse / Reuters

Analysts said hope for a political resolution to the Syrian crisis remains despite Kofi Annan's resignation on Thursday as the UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy for Syria.