As violence killed at least 14 people across Syria Thursday (May 31st), the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) gave Syrian President Bashar Assad until Friday at noon to implement envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan.
If the regime "does not meet the deadline by Friday mid-day, the command … will no longer be tied by any commitment to the Annan plan … and our duty will be … to defend civilians," AFP reported the FSA command as saying.
Turkey-based FSA chief Col. Riad al-Asaad denied there had been an ultimatum, prompting the leadership inside Syria to respond.
"From now on, all decisions will be taken from inside Syria. Anyone who wants to speak in the name of the FSA should do it from the battlefield, not through media," Col. Kassem Saadeddine said.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, addressing a forum in Istanbul on Thursday, demanded the Syrian government act on its commitment to the Annan plan.
"The massacres of the sort seen last weekend could plunge Syria into a catastrophic civil war, a civil war from which the country would never recover," he said.
Ban was referring to mass killings near the town of Houla on Friday and Saturday that left 108 people, including 49 children and 34 women, dead.
A team led by Annan visited Syria after the killings, calling for "concrete gestures" from the Syrian president to halt the violence.
Also on Thursday, government forces resumed shelling Houla for a second consecutive day. A young boy was killed by a sniper in the town, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Clashes across the country killed at least 13 other people.
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ADD A COMMENT (COMMENT POLICY) * DENOTES REQUIRED FIELD
READER COMMENTS
عمر عادل
2012-6-3
To Homs, the capital of our prayers and the apple of our eyes and souls of our souls. The morning will leave its kiss over your cheeks because he misses you strongly. Then, you will reply to it with the love pouring from your mouth hotly and delicately. Dear Homs, you are my song that lights the age and I plant my life in your soil to quench my longing and aspirations.
حسن
2012-6-3
Through strengthening his strategic alliance with the USA and the west and after reaping the early fruits of this alliance, which contracts the nature of Lebanon through getting of general Aoun, Al-Assad’s power became limitless in Syria and Lebanon. This is what was understood by the Syrian people and all of its sects. Those who failed to coexist with this abnormal state had to choose between eating the fire or leaving in the absence of all chances of change whatsoever. The regime of Al-Assad in the 1990’s was similar to the regime of Northern Korea in the same period with one difference, which is that the regime in Syria was supported by the east and the west in addition to its historic enemy in southern Syria.
سليمان
2012-6-2
Certainly, the ceasefire is a positive phenomenon and decision, because it will help in saving the people’s lives and ensuring their safety. The ceasefire is the best solution to achieve peace and stop the bloodshed and the human losses. Compliance with the declared ceasefire is a very important step that proves the good intentions, because all those who have sound vision wish to stop the violence. The acceptance of the ceasefire and imposing it by the US government is a positive and effective step. However, the government of Bashar al-Asad did not keep their promises. Nevertheless, this remains a good step on part of the UN. However, the tanks and forces of al-Asad did not withdraw from the heavily crowded areas. Hence, we will wait to see whether the regime will fulfill its promises or not. In addition, the diplomats of the UN are serious in drafting a resolution in the Security Council calling on Bashar and his government to comply with the ceasefire and they sent a UN ad-hoc committee to pave the way for an international monitoring mission to be objective and accurate in reporting the situation on the ground. The USA and Russia in cooperation with other states work to ensure that the ceasefire is respected on the ground to spread the peace and security among the people. The UN sponsorship is very important to spread peace and security between the governments and the peoples and they are really positive.