Situation in Syria 'relatively quiet' after cease-fire comes into effect

[News_Editor]

Situation in Syria 'relatively quiet' after cease-fire comes into effect

2012-04-13 01:48:03 GMT+7 (ICT)

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BNO NEWS) -- The situation in Syria appears to be 'relatively quiet' after a cease-fire came into effect on early Thursday morning, UN-Arab League Special Envoy Kofi Annan said, although Syrian troops have not yet pulled out of residential areas.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told Annan on Wednesday that the Syrian government had decided to cease all military fighting throughout Syrian territory as of 6 a.m. local time on Thursday. The announcement, which was also broadcast on Syrian state-run media, added that Syria reserves the right to 'respond proportionately' to any attacks.

There were no reports of significant fighting on Thursday, although some incidents were reported. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that a military officer was killed and 24 service members were injured when a roadside bomb hit a military bus in Syria's second city of Aleppo.

"I am encouraged by reports that the situation in Syria is relatively quiet and that the cessation of hostilities appears to be holding," Annan said. "Syria is apparently experiencing a rare moment of calm on the ground. This is bringing much-needed relief and hope to the Syrian people who have suffered so much for so long in this brutal conflict. This must now be sustained."

Annan said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will ask the UN Security Council to approve the deployment of a UN Observer Mission to Syria as soon as possible. "This will allow us to move quickly to launch a serious political dialogue that will address the concerns and aspirations of the Syrian people," he said. "This is the time for all Syrians to come together in the hope that they can begin to heal their wounds and initiate a political transition to a democratic, plural political system, in which citizens have equal rights and equal opportunities, regardless of their affiliations or ethnicities or beliefs."

The international community reacted with skepticism on Thursday and urged the Syrian government to fully implement the six-point plan negotiated with Annan. "Today's lessening of violence in Syria is a first fragile step towards peace that needs to be strengthened and sustained," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Hague called on the Syrian government to withdraw its troops and weaponry from residential areas. "The Syrian government has a record of failing to keep its promises," he said. "It has the opportunity to change that now: it should seize it. We need to see visible, verifiable and indisputable signs of change. The opposition must also ensure that they adhere to the ceasefire and work to strengthen and broaden it."

In a video teleconference between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.S. President Barack Obama, the two leaders also called on the Syrian regime to fully implement Annan's plan. "[They noted] that the international community would judge the regime by its actions and not its words," the White House said in a readout.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also welcomed Thursday's development, but noted that a cease-fire is just one element of Annan's plan. "The regime's troops and tanks have not pulled back from population centers. And it remains to be seen if the regime will keep its pledge to permit peaceful demonstrations, open access for humanitarian aid and journalists, and begin a political transition," she said. "The Annan plan is not a menu of options. It is a set of obligations."

Since the start of the uprising in March 2011, at least 3,800 people have died as a result of violence, according to government figures, but opposition activists claim the actual number has already surpassed 9,000. Tens of thousands of people have also displaced since the protests began.

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