April 10th, 2012
08:30 AM ET

Hopes for peace dashed as deadline for Syrian withdrawal passes

Syrian forces pounded cities across the nation, opposition activists said, as a United Nations-brokered deadline for a troop withdrawal came and went Tuesday

At least 40 people, including three children, were killed Tuesday; 25 were in the besieged city of Homs, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. Tuesday's toll continues a shocking surge in violence and atrocities ahead of the deadline for troops to withdraw.

The Syrian government, however, said it had taken steps to abide by the peace plan laid out by U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan.

"We did withdraw some military units from some provinces, in accordance with point C of Annan's plan," Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said after meeting with Russia's foreign minister in Moscow.

President Bashar al-Assad's regime had agreed to the deadline, but demanded that its opponents, whom it calls armed terrorists, put down their weapons. Damascus also wanted a promise from foreign governments not to fund opposition groups.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Syrian government could have been more active in implementing the peace plan, but he urged heightened international pressure on opposition groups.

"But on the other hand," he said, "we cannot overlook the fact that Kofi Annan's proposals have not been agreed to by some of the opposition groups including the well-known Syrian National Council."

Sheikh Anas Airout, a senior member of the council, told CNN that Annan did not get an agreement from the opposition body but that the Free Syrian Army, the main armed opposition group made up mainly of defected soldiers, provided an explicit commitment to abide by the cease-fire as long as the regime stopped its attacks.

With both the regime and rebel fighters refusing to back down until the other side does, prospects paled for an end to the fighting. And the bloodshed continued unabated.

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soundoff (16 Responses)
  1. Bill

    This is a Sunni/Shia civil war essentially and there is no way any time soon these folks are going to get along! They have a rich and proud history of endless bickering and slaughter sio why should it stop now? It's sad to see this in the 21st century but that's their lifestyle and we'll just have to tolerate that and stay out of it.

    April 10, 2012 at 8:57 am | Report abuse |
  2. RUFFNUTT (( dank smoking , beer drinking trailer trash from belton missouri ))

    WHO CARES... let them sort it out themselves...

    April 10, 2012 at 9:10 am | Report abuse |
  3. Jeff Frank (R-Ohio) "Right vs. Wrong"

    What? Bashar al-Bashad has now convinced the free world genocide is an "acceptable" way of life. It's perfectly OK to slaughter innocent unarmed civillians. He must be taking after Sanford, Fl's "stand your ground law".

    April 10, 2012 at 10:13 am | Report abuse |
  4. bobcat (in a hat) ©

    SARCASM ALERT-SARCASM ALERT-SARCASM ALERT
    Why shouldn't Al assad be able to put his troops anywhere he wants them ? After all, it is his country. Besides all he's doing is taking out a few hundred citizens here, and a few hundred citizens there. He just may be feeling he needs to cull the herd some.

    April 10, 2012 at 10:26 am | Report abuse |
  5. banasy©

    As our own Indomitable said:
    Let me see if I can summon up a surprised expression on my face.
    Nope, I can't.

    April 10, 2012 at 11:33 am | Report abuse |
    • bobcat (in a hat) ©

      Are we talking about the indomitable snowman again ?

      April 10, 2012 at 12:09 pm | Report abuse |
    • banasy©

      That's ABOMINABLE.
      Who's on first?

      April 10, 2012 at 12:14 pm | Report abuse |
    • bobcat (in a hat) ©

      Abominable. I thought that was another word for stomach.

      April 10, 2012 at 12:34 pm | Report abuse |
    • banasy©

      That's ABDOMINAL.

      Go.

      April 10, 2012 at 2:05 pm | Report abuse |
    • bobcat (in a hat) ©

      Abdominal

      I thought that was a pizza chain.

      April 10, 2012 at 2:14 pm | Report abuse |
    • banasy©

      That's DOMINO's.

      Don't back yourself in a corner again, toots!

      April 10, 2012 at 2:37 pm | Report abuse |
    • bobcat (in a hat) ©

      Dominos is a game using little tiles with dots on them. I guess that's the end of this game. We'll get going on another thing, another time.
      Give me some ammunition.

      April 10, 2012 at 4:10 pm | Report abuse |
  6. leeintulsa

    lol. they said 'hope', 'peace', and 'syria' all in the same sentence..

    April 10, 2012 at 12:08 pm | Report abuse |
    • banasy©

      *Singing*
      One of these three is not like the others....

      April 10, 2012 at 12:15 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Jeff Frank (R-Ohio) "Right vs. Wrong"

    Bashar al – ASSad is I.B.S. (Irratable Bowel Syndrome)

    April 10, 2012 at 1:58 pm | Report abuse |
    • banasy©

      @Jeff:
      He certainly is F.O.S. (Full Of ......)

      April 10, 2012 at 2:08 pm | Report abuse |
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