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| Syrian ceasefire begins, troops remain | | Print | |
| Written by Dino Pasalic |
| Thursday, 12 April 2012 14:31 |
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Syrian troops are holding their fire today after the deadline for a UN backed ceasefire passed, however both sides are reporting several violations. According to a BBC article Thursday, “Syrian state TV reported what it described as a roadside bomb in Aleppo which killed one military officer and wounded 24, said to be officers and cadets.” The same article says that Syrian State TV also said opposition fighters, who they refer to as terrorists, are intensifying attacks to sabotage Annan’s peace plan. Opposition fighters in Syria say there have been three deaths “in Idlib and Hama and there was ‘no evidence’ of a significant withdrawal by Syrian troops.” The ceasefire deadline comes as part of UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s proposed peace plan designed to end the violence that has taken over the country for over a year. The conflict has left more than 9,000 dead according to UN estimates reported by the BBC. The same BBC article reported that Annan said today’s developments are encouraging, but the Assad regime hasn’t fully fulfilled the demands of the peace plan. "All parties have obligations to implement fully the six-point plan,” Annan told the UN Security Council. “This includes both the military provisions of the plan and the commitment to move to a political process.” The BBC also reports that an activist video posted online showed Syrian government tanks and machine guns opening fire in Homs, while activists are also accusing government forces of opening fire at a protest in Hama and a funeral in Aleppo. “There is no evidence of any significant withdrawal,” said Bassma Kodmani, spokeswoman of the opposition Syrian National Council, according to the Globe and Mail. The ceasefire comes after Syrian government troops fired across the Syrian border into Turkey and Lebanon on Monday. Rafif Jouejati, the English language spokesperson for the LCC (Local Coordination Commitees)Syria, told thedailyplanet.com, that the territorial integrity of Turkey and Lebanon are meaningless to Bashar al-Assad after the violence spilled over the Syrian border. For more on our interview with Jouejati, listen here.
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