WORLD_ U.S. warns Syria about pullout deception

U.S. warns Syria about pullout deception
Published: April 7, 2012 8:42 PM
Newsday
By KARIN LAUB. The Associated Press

BEIRUT -- The United States warned Syria it won't be able to deceive the world about compliance with a cease-fire that is just days away, as regime forces pounded more opposition strongholds Saturday.

Activists said more than 100 people were killed, including at least 87 civilians, in fighting Saturday.

Syrian President Bashar Assad last week accepted a cease-fire agreement brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan calling for government forces to withdraw from towns and villages by Tuesday, and for the regime and rebels to lay down their arms by 6 a.m. Thursday.

However, Western leaders are skeptical about Assad's intentions because of his past broken promises and the recent escalation in attacks on opposition strongholds, including arrest sweeps and shelling of civilian areas. The U.S. ambassador to Syria posted online satellite images late Friday that he said cast doubt on the regime's readiness to pull out.

"This is not the reduction in offensive Syrian government security operations that all agree must be the first step for the Annan initiative to succeed," Ambassador Robert Ford wrote on the embassy's Facebook page.

He said the photos show the government has pulled back some forces, but kept others in place or simply shifted around troops and armored vehicles. Earlier last week, the government claimed it had withdrawn from several areas.

"The regime and the Syrian people should know that we are watching," Ford wrote, referring to satellite surveillance. "The regime cannot hide the truth."

The ambassador, who left Syria in February amid security concerns, said the Syrian government must give United Nations monitors access to confirm its compliance with the cease-fire. A UN advance team arrived in Damascus last week; Annan's spokesman has said the UN-Arab League envoy hopes to put together a team of 200 to 250 observers.

Syria says the details of the mission have not been worked out.

Saturday's deadliest fighting was reported in al-Latamneh in the central Hama province.



Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc .
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị .


conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
08042012
___________
CSVN là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là đồng lõa với TỘI ÁC