Syria’s conflict spilled over into Turkey yesterday and Syrian government forces battled rebel fighters near the border in clashes that appeared to doom a cease-fire less than 24 hours before a UN-brokered deadline for a Syrian Army pull-back.
Under a deal brokered by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, Syria is to begin withdrawing troops from around urban centers by today, paving the way for a truce to start 48 hours later.
But the prospect of a cease-fire looked increasingly dim, with no let-up in violence around the country where forces loyal to President Bashar Assad have battled to crush a popular revolt against his rule for more than a year.
In a last-minute move, Assad has demanded written guarantees from opposition fighters that they put down their weapons, prompting Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru to say that the April 10 deadline was now effectively void. “April 10 has become void. After Kofi Annan’s visit tomorrow (to Turkey) a new stage will start,” state-run broadcaster TRT quoted Koru as saying on its website.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said through a spokesman that “adding new conditions at this stage is totally unacceptable.”
Less that 24 hours before the deadline, fierce fighting raged on the ground, with two Syrian refugees and a Turkish translator wounded by gunfire from Syria at a refugee camp on Turkish territory, according to Turkish officials.
For more: Syria-Turkey tensions escalate - Arab News
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