Kofi Annan arrived Damascus yesterday, his spokesman said, after the international envoy’s admission that his peace plan has so far failed to end nearly 16 months of carnage in Syria.

“The Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, arrived in Damascus this evening for talks with President Bashar Al-Assad,” Ahmad Fawzi said of Annan’s third trip to Syria since the outbreak of the conflict.

Earlier, Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi had told AFP Annan would visit within the framework of his mission, for discussions with the Syrian leadership on the subject of the six-point plan” for peace.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned yesterday that time was running out to save Syria from a “catastrophic assault,” and as dozens more people were reportedly killed in the unrest-swept country.

Mr Annan himself has said his UN-backed mission has so far failed to halt the bloodshed, while stressing that Russia and Iran must not be sidelined from peace efforts.

“Russia wields influence but I am not sure that the events will be determined by Russia alone... Iran is an actor. It has to be part of the solution. It has influence and we cannot ignore it,” Mr Annan told France’s Le Monde daily.

He also expressed irritation that while Russia and Iran were mentioned by some as stumbling blocks to peace, “little is said about other countries which send arms, money, and have a presence on the ground.”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused the US and its allies of opposing Mr Assad’s regime with the goal of dominating the Middle East and propping up Israel.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said yesterday in Jordan that any attack on Syria would be “stupid” and “catastrophic.”

“Military action Syria is unlikely and if this happens it would be stupid. Syria can defend itself without Iran’s help. Any non-political solution would bring catastrophe to the entire region,” he said.

Syria’s state news agency SANA said yesterday that the country’s navy staged live fire exercises to “simulate the scenario of repelling a sudden attack from the sea.”

Yesterday at least 46 people, including 20 civilians, were killed in violence across Syria, the Observatory said. Syrian forces attempted to storm the rebel strongholds of Qusayr and Rastan in the central province of Homs, the watchdog said.

Yesterday’s violence followed a bloody day in which 77 people, mostly civilians, were killed.