Syria demands written guarantee for troop pullback

Published April 8, 2012 at 12:53 pm

Pro-Syrian government demonstrators carry a giant national flag at a rally at Sabe Bahrat Square to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the Ruling Baath Arab Socialist Party in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, April 7, 2012. Syrian President Bashar Assad has accepted a cease-fire deadline brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan, which calls for his forces to pull out of towns and cities by Tuesday and for both government and rebels to lay down their arms by 6 a.m. local time Thursday.

Photo by AP

Syriasaid on Sunday it wants "written guarantees" that insurgents will stop fighting before it implements a troop pullback agreed by President Bashar al-Assad, putting the likelihood of an imminent truce into doubt.

Foreign MinistryspokesmanJihad Makdissisaid in a statement earlier reports thatDamascus"confirmed that it will pull back its troops from and around cities on April 10 is a wrong explanation."

U.N.-Arab peace envoyKofi Annan, he said, "has not delivered until now written guarantees regarding the approval of terrorist armed groups to end violence and readiness to lay down its weapons.