Syria Clashes Continue as Ceasefire Deadline Arrives

 

Violence has continued in Syria despite a UN-backed deadline for a complete withdrawal of troops and weapons coming into effect. Shelling was reported in Homs early on Tuesday, and there were clashes on the Turkish and Lebanese border overnight.  More than 100 people - many of them civilians - were killed on Monday, reports say.

Damascus had agreed to the deadline but insisted on written guarantees first that its opponents would give up arms. Under the plan - negotiated by the UN and Arab League's special envoy on the Syrian crisis, Kofi Annan - Syrian troops were to have completed their withdrawal from population centres and stopped the use of heavy weaponry by Tuesday, ahead of a full ceasefire coming into place on Thursday.

But activists in Syria reported that government troops had been shelling the western city of Homs since early on Tuesday morning, while military activity was also reported in Aleppo and other areas.
On Monday, several people in a refugee camp in Turkey were injured by shots fired across the border from inside Syria. Two people were also shot dead as they approached the border from the Syrian side.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on a trip to China, said the incidents were a "clear violation" of its borders and that his country would "take the necessary measures" in response.
Turkish media reported that Mr Davutoglu was ending his trip early because of developments in Syria.
Turkey now hosts some 24,000 Syrians, including hundreds of army defectors, and has seen a sharp rise in the number of refugees coming over the border in the past week.

"We wish that Kofi Annan would help us," one refugee told the Associated Press news agency. "He should see for himself if the Syrians are oppressed or not and tell the Security Council that we are oppressed." Syria's government, under President Bashar al-Assad, had previously agreed to Mr Annan's plan. But on Sunday, Damascus called for written guarantees from rebel fighters to end attacks and a promise from foreign states not to fund them, effectively rejecting the plan.

The Assad government said it did not want the rebels to exploit any troop withdrawal to reorganize and rearm themselves.

 Tens of thousands of people have crossed the border into Turkey to escape the violence

The Free Syrian Army, the main armed rebel group, said it backed the truce but refused to meet the government's new demands. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on Syria to "immediately cease all military actions against civilians and fulfil all of its commitments".

Late on Monday, Washington said there has been "no sign yet of the Assad regime abiding by its commitments".  Jim Muir in Beirut says the peace plan is not yet being considered dead, but it has fallen at the first hurdle.

Efforts are being made to revive the plan, says our correspondent, and hopes for salvaging it are now being pinned on Syria's international allies - Russia, China and Iran. They have generally defended the regime, but also support the Annan mission.  Syria's foreign minister is in Moscow for talks in the hope of shoring up support for Damascus, while Mr Annan is travelling to Tehran with the aim of securing Iranian backing for his plan.

The UN says more than 9,000 people have been killed in the uprising against Mr Assad's rule which began more than a year ago. The Syrian government says 2,000 security personnel have been killed in the uprising and blames the violence on "armed gangs" and "terrorists".

Ceasefire timetable

• 10 April: Government must withdraw troops and heavy weapons such as tanks from towns, cities and villages
• Following 48 hours: Ceasefire to be implemented on the ground with the onus on the opposition to follow the government's lead
• 06:00 local time on 12 April: All forms of violence must be stopped on all sides
• Next step: All parties to hold talks on a political solution