Send a message to Syria - Annan

International envoy Kofi Annan today urged the UN Security Council to send a message to the Syrian government and the opposition that there will be “consequences” if they do not comply with demands for an immediate ceasefire, a UN diplomat said.

Russia and China, key allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad and veto-wielding council members, have blocked repeated attempts by the United States and its European allies to even threaten “consequences” – a diplomatic code word for sanctions