Syria: Military pullback to begin April 10

UNITED NATIONS -- Syria told international envoy Kofi Annan that its military will withdraw troops and heavy weapons from populated areas by April 10, in what could be a first step toward ending the bloody yearlong conflict, UN diplomats said yesterday.

The announcement came as Syrian troops hunted down activists and destroyed their homes in rebellious areas. The United States remained skeptical of Damascus' latest statements, pointing to previous broken promises.

"We have seen commitments to end the violence, followed by massive intensifications of violence," U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said. "So the United States, for one, would look at these commitments and say, yet again, the proof is the actions, not in the words."

Rice said Annan told the Security Council he received a letter from Syria's foreign minister on Sunday with the April 10 date and indicated he would have preferred the pullback to begin earlier. Annan urged the Syrian government to start the withdrawal immediately and move no further into populated areas, and "that commitment was provided," Rice added.

"Past experience would lead us to be skeptical and to worry that over the next several days, rather than a diminution of the violence, we might, yet again, see an escalation of the violence," said Rice, the current council president. "We certainly hope that is not so. We hope the Syrian authorities will implement the commitments they made without condition or codicils."

Syria's UN ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari, said the April 10 deadline was set "by common accord" between Annan and the Syrian government, and he again pledged his government's complete support for Annan's six-point plan to end the yearlong Syrian crisis.

Annan's plan calls for an immediate withdrawal of troops and heavy military equipment from populated areas, followed by an overall cease-fire, first by government forces and then by opposition fighters, to pave the way for talks by all Syrian parties on a political solution. It includes an immediate daily two-hour halt to fighting so humanitarian aid can reach suffering civilians, and unhindered access for humanitarian groups and the media.

Earlier yesterday, Russia raised pressure on an old ally, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying Syria's government must take the first step toward settling the country's conflict by pulling troops from city streets.

Lavrov's statement at a briefing in Yerevan following talks with his Armenian counterpart appeared to reflect Moscow's increasing impatience with Assad.