Annan should continue to reach peaceful solution

U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan said he recognizes that many have become impatient but that work toward a peaceful solution in Syria should continue. Annan, who arrived Thursday to Lebanon and met with President Michel Sleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri, has warned of instability in Lebanon should Syria slide into a civil war following the failure of several U.N. efforts to end the 15-month-old conflict in the country. According to political sources, Annan voiced his concerns over a further deterioration of the situation in Syria and its adverse consequences on neighboring states, including Lebanon, during talks with the country’s top leaders. Deadly clashes in the northern city of Tripoli and Beirut have raised fears over a spillover of the Syrian crisis into Lebanon. In Tripoli, at least 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded during fighting between supporters and opponents of President Bashar Assad.