Syria Officially Declares Ceasfire by UN Deadline

A handout picture released by SANA shows a Syrian pro-goverment ralliers during an event in Damascus celebrating the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the ruling Baath party, 7 April. EPA/BGNES

The Syrian army will stop all operations by Thursday morning, revealed Syrian state TV Wednesday, quoting a source from the Syrian Ministry of Defense.

Thursday was the deadline for a ceasefire on both sides mandated by a peace plan authored by UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad had agreed on.

Tuesday Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov had tried to dispel fears by the international community that Assad might not abide by the deadline, saying that the Syrian government is in fact going to observe.

"After Syrian armed forces conducted successful operations against the criminal acts of terrorist groups and imposed the rule of law on our territory, we have decided to terminate operations starting Thursday morning," stated the Ministry of Defense.

The Syrian government also added that the army is going to remain alert in order to prevent any future unrest provoked by rebels.

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