Demonstrators in Turkey placed banners beside mock coffins during a protest against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (Reuters)
The Syrian government will not withdraw its forces from Syrian protest hubs without “written guarantees” from the opposition, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
“To say that Syria will pull back its forces from towns on April 10 is inaccurate, Kofi Annan having not yet presented written guarantees on the acceptance by armed terrorist groups of a halt to all violence,” it said.
On Thursday the U.N. Security Council formally endorsed April 10 as the deadline for Syrian troops and big guns to be withdrawn from cities, but Damascus said on Friday the number of “terrorist acts” has risen since the deal was reached with U.N. and Arab League envoy Annan.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s prime minister has said his country will take “steps” if the Syrian regime fails to abide by an April 10 deadline to cease violence, Turkish media reported on Sunday, amid reports that Syrian troops are continuing their offensive on rebel towns.
“We will patiently follow the process until April 10,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying by daily Hurriyet.
But “we will implement steps” if violence does not stop after that, he added.
“To say that Syria will pull back its forces from towns on April 10 is inaccurate, Kofi Annan having not yet presented written guarantees on the acceptance by armed terrorist groups of a halt to all violence,” it said.
On Thursday the U.N. Security Council formally endorsed April 10 as the deadline for Syrian troops and big guns to be withdrawn from cities, but Damascus said on Friday the number of “terrorist acts” has risen since the deal was reached with U.N. and Arab League envoy Annan.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s prime minister has said his country will take “steps” if the Syrian regime fails to abide by an April 10 deadline to cease violence, Turkish media reported on Sunday, amid reports that Syrian troops are continuing their offensive on rebel towns.
“We will patiently follow the process until April 10,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying by daily Hurriyet.
But “we will implement steps” if violence does not stop after that, he added.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Syria not to withdraw troops without ‘guarantees’ from rebels
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