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BEIRUT: The leader of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said on Sunday a peace plan put forward by international mediator Kofi Annan was bound to fail because Syria's government would not implement it.
Riad al-Asaad added his group had not been asked to deliver written guarantees to end the violence in Syria - apparently contradicting Damascus which on Sunday said it had demanded the written pledge as a condition for the withdrawal of its troops.
“The regime will not implement this plan. This plan will fail,” he told Reuters by phone from Turkey.
The rebels had already given a verbal promise to stop fighting if the government did the same. “We have given our word that if the regime commits to the plan then we will too. We are honest.”
The plan, drawn up by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, requires Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to “begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centres” by Tuesday for a truce to start 48 hours later.
