Syria truce takes shaky hold

Syrian troops held their fire on Thursday after a UN-backed cease-fire deadline passed, giving respite to rebellious towns that have suffered heavy bombardments, but international envoy Kofi Annan pressed Damascus to pull its forces back entirely.
"Syria is apparently experiencing a rare moment of calm on the ground," Annan said in a statement as he briefed a United Nations Security Council which has been divided along Cold War lines by the 13-month crisis at the heart of the Middle East.
Western leaders, who share Syrian dissidents' doubts about Assad's willingness to engage in a democratic process that would end his family's four decades of absolute power, stepped up calls on Russia and China, veto-wielding bulwarks for Syria in the Security Council, to extend their support for Annan's six-point peace plan by joining a united push for negotiations.
Echoing reports from weary opposition activists in some of the most battered districts of Homs, Hama and Idlib, Annan said: "The cessation of hostilities appears to be holding ... This is bringing much-needed relief and hope to the Syrian people who have suffered so much for so long in this brutal conflict."
But he urged the Security Council to demand a full military withdrawal to bolster the extremely fragile truce.
President Bashar al-Assad's tanks and infantry are still deployed in cities in defiance of Annan's plan, state media are accusing "terrorists" of attacks on troops that might justify retaliation, and rebels are urging demonstrators to test the cease-fire by massing on the streets on Friday,
Diplomats at the United Nations in New York, who heard Annan brief the 15-nation world policy body by videolink from Geneva, told Reuters the Council should swiftly mandate the despatch of some 200 unarmed peace observers to Syria to monitor the truce.
A report on state media that a "terrorist" bomb blasted an army bus and killed a senior officer in Aleppo after the truce began raised a possibility troops will keep a pledge to hit back. State media also reported a bomb wounding officers near Idlib and a ruling party member shot dead in Deraa in the south.
The Syrian government bars access to most independent media.
The exile opposition called the cease-fire "only partially observed" due to the army's failure to leave the streets and its leader urged a renewal on Friday of peaceful protests, which have been subdued of late by fear. But he warned those who might take part that they could expect government forces to open fire.
The Interior Ministry urged rebels to surrender, promising to free those who had not killed, and broadcast an appeal to the thousands who fled battered cities like Homs and Hama to return from the havens they found in Turkey, Lebanon and within Syria.
But streets in troubled towns remained nervously empty. An exile opposition spokeswoman said three people had been killed during the morning by security forces, and dozens more arrested.
Speaking after the 6 am (0300 GMT) UN deadline passed, Abu Rami, an activist in Homs said: "It was a bloody night. There was heavy shelling on the city ... But now it is calm, and there is no shooting." Assaults on restive neighbourhoods had become more intense after Assad accepted Annan's timetable. Opposition stronghold districts of Homs were still but deserted. "Snipers, tanks and soldiers are still there. They did not go anywhere. People are wary and they believe that this cease-fire is only temporary. Nobody is leaving their homes," said Yazan, an activist in Homs.