Syria says troops starting withdrawal from some cities

But opposition activists and human rights groups report on continued shelling in others

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria says the government has begun withdrawing their forces from some Syrian cities, but Syrian activists reported military attacks on two towns and said there was no sign of a large-scale troop pullout Tuesday, the day President Bashar Assad committed to start withdrawing his forces from population centers under an internationally brokered truce.

Syria’s Foreign minister Walid Muallemalso also said that the cease-fire must start simultanously with the deployment of the international observer mission.

The cease-fire deal hammered out by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan was widely seen as the last chance for diplomacy, and its apparent collapse could push Syria even closer to an all-out civil war.

A 13-month uprising against Assad’s regime has turned increasingly militarized in response to a brutal regime crackdown. The fighting is also threatening to spill across Syria’s borders, raising the risk of a regional conflagration.

On Monday, Syrian forces opened fire across the Turkish and Lebanese borders, killing a TV journalist in Lebanon and wounding at least six people in a refugee camp in Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused Syria of violating the border and said his country is considering what steps to take in response, including measures “we don’t want to think about.” He did not elaborate.

Turkey, which has already given shelter to some 24,000 Syrian refugees, has floated the idea of creating security zones along its border, a step that could drag the Turkish military into the conflict.

Later Tuesday, Annan was to visit the Turkish refugee camp where Monday’s shooting took place.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davotoglu cut short his visit to China because of the cross border fire.

Refugees in the camp were skeptical about making any deals with the Syrian leader, who has gone back on his word in previous failed truce efforts.

“We believe in Kofi Annan, but Bashar Assad is not trustworthy,” said refugee Dalal Fezo. “He was given 10 days to pull back his troops but he didn’t.”

Under his plan, a Syrian troop pullback from towns and villages was to begin on Tuesday and be completed within 48 hours with a halt to all hostilities by 6 a.m. Thursday.

Syria initially accepted the deal, but made last-minute demands over the weekend, saying it could not pull back forces without written guarantees that the rebel fighters would lay down their arms.

The Syrian opposition rejected the demand, saying that while it would go along with the truce, it does not recognize the Assad regime and would not issue the requested guarantees.

There were no signs of a large-scale troop withdrawal, though there seemed to be a drop in attacks by Syrian forces, said Rami Abdul-Rahman from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Observatory said regime troops fired shells at the town of Mareh in northwestern Syria on Tuesday. Actvists also said the central city of Homs was struck by mortar rounds and that forces carried out arrests in the Damascus suburb of Harasta. Mohammed Saeed, a resident of the Damascus suburb of Douma, said tanks that routinely patrol the streets were not visible Tuesday.

China on Tuesday again called on the Syrian government and opposition forces to immediately back a truce deal arranged by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

China’s call came as a deadline passed for President Bashar Assad’s troops to start withdrawing from populated areas in a kickoff to the internationally brokered truce deal.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said China hopes the Syrian government and opposition “stay with their commitment to the cease-fire and withdrawal, and create favorable conditions for easing the tension in Syria and pushing for a political resolution for the Syria issue.”

Russia also has called on the opposition as well as countries that “influence them” to use their powers to bring about a cease-fire in Syria.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday after a meeting with Syria’s foreign policy chief that Syria’s government “could have been more active and decisive” in implementing the peace plan.

He also called for a speedy deployment of international observers — including Russians — in the country.

Russia, along with China, has twice shielded its old ally Damascus from U.N. sanctions over Syrian President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on a yearlong uprising that has killed more than 9,000.

But Moscow has also staunchly supported Annan’s cease-fire proposals, urging Assad to take the first step by withdrawing his forces from Syrian cities in line with the peace plan.