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April 13, 2012

Rallies Test Syrian Ceasefire After Scattered Violence 
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The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote today on whether to send
an observer mission to Syria to monitor government compliance with the
peace plan brokered by U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan. The
ceasefire has come under doubt after activists said government troops
had continued to deploy tanks, snipers and armed checkpoints in key
areas. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least four people
were shot dead in Syria on Thursday, including three people killed by
snipers in the city of Homs. Scattered violence has been reported today,
with clashes erupting between government troops and rebels near the
Turkish border. Basma Kodmani of the Syrian National Council said the
government’s response to peaceful protests will be a key test.

Basma Kodmani: "Snipers are deployed across the country in all the
populated areas and the centers, there has been an increase, a big
increase, in the number of checkpoints, and those checkpoints are
heavily armed. The real test for us today is if people can go down and
demonstrate peacefully, whether that would be possible. This is the
reality check."



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