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WASHINGTONThe United Nations and Arab League mediator on the conflict in Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, plans to resign his post after a nearly two-year effort that failed to bring peace to the war-torn country. Brahimi managed to get Syrian government officials and the opposition to participate in two rounds of peace talks in Geneva, but both of those ended without an agreement. During a joint appearance with Brahimi Tuesday in New York, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that the mediator will step down May 31. For nearly two years, joint special representative Brahimi has sought an end to the brutal and still worsening civil war in Syria. He has faced almost impossible odds with a Syrian nation, Middle Eastern region and wider international community that have been hopelessly divided in their approaches to ending the conflict, said Ban. Despite his struggles in mediating a peace deal, Brahimi expressed confidence the crisis will end. The question is only, and this everybody who has responsibility and an influence in the situation have to remember, that the question is: How many more dead, how much more destruction there is going to be before Syria becomes again the Syria we have known, said Brahimi. Brahimi had been working to restart negotiations, but that effort was thwarted with the announcement that presidential elections will be held next month, dealing a severe blow to his efforts. | 
