Morocco urges Russia to press Syria on ceasefire

Morocco’s foreign minister urged Russia on Wednesday to press the Syrian government to adhere to a ceasefire and withdraw forces from cities in accordance with U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Morocco’s foreign minister urged Russia on Wednesday to press the Syrian government to adhere to a ceasefire and withdraw forces from cities in accordance with U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan.A six-day-old truce has held in some parts of Syria since President Bashar al-Assad pledged to enforce it last week. But in areas where the opposition is strong the army has continued to attack and fight the rebels, using heavy weapons in violation of the pledge by Damascus to pull back."We continue to wish Annan’s mission success and believe the Russian Federation can play an effective role in convincing the Syrian government to respect the ceasefire regime and the conditions for the withdrawal of forces from cities,” Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad-Eddine Al-Othmani, speaking through a translator, told a news conference after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.