Envoy receives contract extension

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. and the Arab League have extended the mission of their joint envoy to Syria through the end of the year, despite the lack of progress in international efforts to end a civil war that has killed at least 60,000 people.

Lakhdar Brahimi’s contract was due to expire today. It has been renewed through the rest of 2013.

All international efforts to end Syria’s civil war have failed amid divisions within the U.N. Security Council on how to approach the conflict. Brahimi, a 79-year-old Algerian diplomat, replaced Kofi Annan as envoy in August after the former U.N. secretary-general failed to broker a cease-fire.