Fragile cease-fire amid skepticism in Syria

BEIRUT -- A fragile cease-fire brokered by the UN took hold in Syria yesterday with regime forces apparently halting widespread attacks on the opposition.

But scattered violence was reported and the government defied demands to pull troops back to barracks, drawing criticism from international envoy Kofi Annan.

Annan told the UN Security Council he was "encouraged" that the truce appeared to be holding but warned that the Syrian regime has failed to implement key demands, such as withdrawing troops and armament from cities and towns.

He urged the 15-nation council to demand that President Bashar Assad's government keep its promises and called for the speedy deployment of an observer mission, according to UN diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Annan's briefing was behind closed doors.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also said the onus was on Assad's regime to keep the peace. "As of this moment, the situation looks calmer," he told reporters in Geneva. But the cease-fire is "very fragile" and a single gunshot could derail the process, he added.

In the hours after the 6 a.m. deadline, at least four civilians were reported killed, three by sniper fire, and the state-run news agency said "terrorist groups" set off a roadside bomb that killed a soldier. But there was none of the heavy shelling, rockets and sniper fire that have become routine.

If the truce holds, it would be the first time the regime has observed an internationally brokered cease-fire since Assad's regime began a crackdown 13 months ago on mass protests calling for his ouster.

There was deep skepticism that the regime would hold its fire for long, given that Assad has broken promises in the past. The regime said Wednesday, on the eve of the truce deadline, that it reserves the right to respond to any aggression, potentially a pretext for breaking the truce.