GENEVA - The Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and Arab League Kofi Annan is scheduled to travel this weekend to Moscow and Beijing to discuss the crisis in Syria, Annan's spokesperson Ahmad Fawzi announced here on Friday.

Meanwhile, the mission that was sent to Damascus has returned, after three days of intensive talks with the Syrian authorities "on urgent steps to improve the Annan proposals aimed at stopping the killing, securing humanitarian aid and launching a political process."

Fawzi said Annan and his team are currently studying the Syrian responses carefully, and negotiations with Damascus continue.