Syrian people welcome cease-fire

DAMASCUS (AA) - April 12, 2012 - Syrian people living in the capital, Damascus, welcomed the cease-fire between the Syrian administration and opposition on Thursday. All workplaces and shops have opened their doors in the capital, while majority of the Syrians went to their workplaces in the morning. Some Syrians drank their morning coffee in the balconies of their houses.  "We are glad that operations have ended, and it is beneficial to both of the parties as no more people will die," a Syrian citizen, Ahmad Shaoud, told AA correspondent. Shaoud said soldiers would return to military headquarters under the Annan plan and people would re-gain peace. "Of course, soldiers should protect people as people have been affected by recent crackdown. It is so good violence has ended," Shaoud said. Also speaking to AA, Shafik Marzouki said it is so good that violence had ended, and the administration should have done something before events got to this point. Marzouki said the administration should take serious steps and implement reforms from now on, and changes had occurred in some Arab countries in line with people's demands. "But change in our country had a different course," Marzouki said.  Intelligence units did not let AA team to interview more people at the al-Mohafaza Square. United Nations (UN)-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan visited Syrian camp in Turkey's southern province of Hatay. During the visit, Annan held a press conference in which he gave Syria extra time till 6 a.m. on April 12 in order to abide by his peace plan. The ceasefire is the key part of special envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan, which was presented to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on March 10 and accepted by him on March 27. Here is a text of the proposal which calls on the Syrian authorities to: (1) Commit to work with the Envoy in an inclusive Syrian-led political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people, and, to this end, commit to appoint an empowered interlocutor when invited to do so by the Envoy. (2) Commit to stop the fighting and achieve urgently an effective United Nations-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians and stabilize the country. To this end, the Syrian government should immediately cease troop movements towards, and end the use of heavy weapons in, population centers, and begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centers. As these actions are being taken on the ground, the Syrian government should work with the Envoy to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism. Similar commitments would be sought by the Envoy from the opposition and all relevant elements to stop the fighting and work with him to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism; (3) Ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and to this end, as immediate steps, to accept and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause and to coordinate exact time and modalities of the daily pause through an efficient mechanism, including at local level; (4) Intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons, including especially vulnerable categories of persons, and persons involved in peaceful political activities, provide without delay through appropriate channels a list of all places in which such persons are being detained, immediately begin organizing access to such locations and through appropriate channels respond promptly to all written requests for information, access or release regarding such persons; (5) Ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists and a non-discriminatory visa policy for them; (6) Respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully as legally guaranteed.