UNITED NATIONS
Nasser al-Kidwa, deputy to the U.N.-Arab League special envoy to Syria, resigned Monday, said a spokesman for the United Nations' secretary general.
Kidwa had already informed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of his intention to leave, according to a statement.
Ban thanked Kidwa for his efforts to solve the political crisis in Syria, and the statement said that Kidwa had said he would continue to help the U.N. if needed.
Kidwa was appointed deputy to U.N. Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's predecessor Kofi Annan in March 2012.
He supported Brahimi at last month's Geneva II Conference, where the special envoy sought peace between the Syrian regime and opposition.
Geneva II, aimed at resolving the ongoing crisis in violence-wracked Syria, started in Switzerland January 22, but wrapped up last Friday with no deal reached.
Syria has been in the throes of conflict since 2011 when a peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assad escalated into civil war following a violent government crackdown.
According to the U.N., more than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict to date.
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