Syria: Firing stops but opposition still sceptical about Assad’s motives

SYRIAN troops held their fire in the hours after a UN-backed ceasefire took effect at dawn on Thursday, casting a silence over rebellious towns they had bombarded heavily in recent days.

But the lull did little to convince opposition activists and Western powers of President Bashar al-Assad’s good faith in observing a peace plan agreed with international envoy Kofi Annan.

In defiance of that deal, Syrian troops and tanks were still in position inside many towns, activists said.

Mr Annan told the Security Council on Thursday night that Syria had not fully complied with the terms of his peace plan and urged the 15-nation body to demand the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from towns, council diplomats said.

He also told council members that Syria’s fragile truce needs support and called for the swift deployment of a first wave of unarmed observers to monitor implementation of his six-point peace plan, to be followed by a second wave of observers later.

A report on state media said a “terrorist” bomb hit an army bus and killed a senior officer in Aleppo after the truce began. State media also reported a bomb wounded officers near Idlib and a ruling party member was shot dead in Deraa.

Burhan Ghalioun, exile head of the opposition Syrian National Council urged a renewal today of peaceful protests. But he warned those who might take part that they could expect government forces to open fire.

The interior ministry urged rebels to surrender, promising to free those who had not killed, and broadcast an appeal to the thousands who fled battered cities like Homs and Hama to return from the havens they have found in Turkey, Lebanon and within Syria.

But streets in troubled towns remained nervously empty.

An exile opposition spokeswoman said three people had been killed during the morning by security forces, and dozens more arrested.

On Thursday morning, hours after the ceasefire began, Abu Rami, an activist in Homs said: “It was a bloody night. There was heavy shelling on the city… But now it is calm, and there is no shooting.” Assaults on restive neighbourhoods had become more intense after Mr Assad accepted Mr Annan’s timetable.

Government spokesman Jihad Makdissi said Damascus was “fully committed” to Mr Annan’s success and that there would be no breach of the ceasefire by the government if the rebels did not attack.

Western powers, though hesitant to intervene militarily, are lobbying Russia, a key ally of Mr Assad, to drop its veto on other UN measures to pressure Syria into abandoning four decades of autocratic rule by his family. Mr Annan’s plan has been for about 250 unarmed UN-mandated observers to monitor the ceasefire.

A similar Arab League mission ended in disarray amid mounting violence in January.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Mr Assad was failing to abide by the terms endorsed by the UN Security Council.

“This is a plan, remember, that is not just backed by those of us who have been pushing for action on Syria, it’s also backed by China and Russia,” he said. “And yet Assad is deliberately flouting it. Now is the time to say to the Russians and Chinese, look at the man we are dealing with, look at the appalling way he is behaving.”