Syria: Four-Day Ceasefire Begins For Eid

A ceasefire is under way in Syria after the army and the main rebel force agreed to stop fighting for the four-day Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha.

The country was calm in the early hours of Friday morning, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It was in stark contrast to the previous evening, which saw heavy fighting across the country, focused on Damascus, Aleppo, and the border with Lebanon.

Syrian state television showed President Bashar al Assad attending morning prayers for the start of Eid at a mosque in Damascus.

He was pictured smiling and looking relaxed as he spoke to other worshippers, in his first television appearance for more than a month.

During prayers, Imam Walid Abdel Haq called on Syrians to "stop quarrelling because you are all brothers".

"Do you not see what has been happening for two years in the country, the destruction and death? Stop this," he said.

As the ceasefire began, some anti-regime protests began after morning prayers.

Protests were reported to have taken place in Raqa in the north east, where security forces fired tear gas, and in the southern Deraa province, where three people were injured as police fired live rounds to disperse demonstrators.

Activists said protests also took place in Damascus and Aleppo.

In the Idlib village of Al-Habit protesters chanted against Mr Assad, saying: "Traitor, give up, you have destroyed Syria."

The ceasefire was agreed after the intervention of UN and Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

Both the regime and the main rebel force, the Free Syrian Army, have agreed temporarily to lay down their arms.

In a statement read on state television after the ceasefire deal, the Syrian army said it would still respond to gunfire or roadside bombs and keep rebels from bolstering their positions or getting supplies.

A Free Syrian Army commander also said rebels would retaliate if they were attacked.

If the ceasefire holds, it would be the first real breakthrough in halting the 19-month conflict that rights groups say has killed more than 35,000 people in Syria.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Syria: Four-Day Ceasefire Begins For Eid

Dengan url

http://congormangap.blogspot.com/2012/10/syria-four-day-ceasefire-begins-for-eid.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Syria: Four-Day Ceasefire Begins For Eid

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Syria: Four-Day Ceasefire Begins For Eid

sebagai sumbernya