New UN envoy for Syria has ‘full support’, says Ban

The new international envoy for Syria has met with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York.

Lakhdar Brahimi says the prospect of his mission has left him “flattered, humbled and scared.”

The Algerian diplomat replaces Kofi Annan, who stepped down last month following the failure of a cease fire under the UN’s six-point peace plan.

Annan admitted that divisions within the Security Council had also led to his resignation.

Ban told Brahimi that he had the respect and full support of the international community, despite ongoing disagreement between the West and China and Russia.

Syrian rebels are said to have abandoned the suburb of Daraya in the capital Damascus on Friday after government forces stepped up their attacks.

Activists claim around 70 people were killed during a three-day bombardment.

New amateur footage, which we are unable to independently verify, purportedly shows residents rescuing an injured man from a shelled out building in the town of Dael in southern Deraa province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 140 people were killed across the country on Friday. It claims that August has been the bloodiest month since the uprising began with over 4,000 people dead.

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