The UN peace plan for Syria received a serious blow on Sunday when Damascus said it would not complete its pullback of forces from populated areas until it had written ceasefire guarantees from the rebels.
Last Monday Kofi Annan, the UN and Arab League envoy, said that Damascus had agreed to pull back its army units from populated areas by April 10, supposedly paving the way for a cessation of violence on April 12.
A statement released by the Syrian foreign ministry two days before the troop withdrawal deadline, however, said that this was a “wrong interpretation” and that Damascus needed “written guarantees” that armed groups would cease fire.