Fragile Syria truce tested amid calls for protests

SYRIA’S fragile truceis facing a major test today as forces tightened security in public squares and around mosques, while opposition leaders called for renewed protests.

There are fears that President Bashar Assad’s regime will launch a new crackdown as it has in the past.

Maintaining peace is crucial to international envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point plan aimed at preventing civil war and delivering a smooth political transition.

The 13-month uprising against the president had become increasingly bloody, with an estimated 9,000 people dead.

Mr Annan’s spokesman expressed cautious optimism that the plan had been “relatively respected”.

However, earlier today Syrian troops fought rebels near the border with Turkey, and other scattered violence was reported, but the regime appeared to have halted its daily shelling attacks on opposition strongholds.