Ipswich ended the match with 10 men - Darren Ambrose went off with cut lip after Town had used all their substitutes - but Walsall were unable to make their numerical advantage count.
Mr Assad, whose forces' killing of 50 protesters overshadowed Mr Annan's announcement, is unlikely to pay more than lip service to any binding calls for him to back off.
Over the past year, for instance, the government has banned lip-syncing to popular songs on television shows and ordered Internet service providers to shut off online videogames between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.