Brahimi makes 'humble' apology to the Syrian people over UN inaction

Former UN and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi used a press conference to “humbly apologise to the Syrian people" after confirming his resignation on Tuesday.

He lamented the fact that “little was achieved” during his two-year tenure as the UN’s top mediator on the conflict, in which more than 150,000 are estimated to have been killed since 2011.

The Lebanese commentator Eyad Abu Shakra tweeted his frustration with Brahimi and the UN’s action on Syria more generally:

Translation: Finally, Lakhdar Brahimi has resigned! Now Nabil al-Arabi is the only one giving an Arab slant to the scandal of finding a political solution for Syria. And of course, there is no blame laid on the occupying countries!

It is widely reported that the announcement of presidential elections to be held in Syria in June proved the tipping point for Brahimi, whose term has long been dogged by rumours of his impending resignation.

After the 21 April announcement by Syria that it will hold elections on 3 June, Brahimi and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released a joint statement warning that the vote would "hamper the prospects for a political solution".

Syria’s official news agency SANA published a brief article regarding Brahimi’s announcement, but the site was dominated by news of upcoming elections which candidate Hassan al-Nouri has said represent "the start of a new era of genuine democracy".

There has been speculation over who might succeed Brahimi since before the official announcement of his resignation on Tuesday.

Among the possible names are Sigrid Kaag, since 2013 head of the UN mission to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons and Kevin Rudd, twice former prime minister of Australia who stepped down in 2010.

Another potential candidate, according to al-Jazeera, is Javier Solana, a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician.

Kamel Morjan, a former foreign minister for Tunisia, is also widely tipped for the post.

There are reports that Morjan, who now leads Tunisia’s centrist Initiative Party, could stand as a candidate in elections there in late 2014.

Al-Shuruq writes, though, that on April 21 Morjan flew to New York to meet Ban Ki-moon and discuss his possible selection as Brahimi’s successor.

Commenting on his potential appointment as UN Special Envoy, Morjan said it would be a "great honour for myself and for my country", adding that he would need time to make a final decision.

Below is some reaction to news of Morjan’s possible candidacy:

 Translation: Ban Ki-moon’s shortlist includes only one Arab: the Tunisian Kamel Morjane

 Translation: One of the candidates to succeed Lakhdar Brahimi is Kamel Morjan, the Foreign Minister under Ben Ali. Does it make sense for the UN to send the foreign minister of a dictator to support the dictatorship in Syria?