Russia presses opposition on truce, US sees no evidence of Syrian army retreat envoy

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on Tuesday to step up efforts to ensure Syrian opposition groups adhere to his ceasefire plan, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.    

In a telephone conversation with Annan, Lavrov "put special emphasis on the fact that the Syrian opposition and countries supporting it must also take urgent measures aimed at providing for a stable ceasefire, calling on Annan to increase work with them in that direction," it said.

On the other hand, the White House said it had seen no evidence so far of a Syrian army pullback and would work with international partners on "next steps" against Damascus if it failed to meet its commitments under a U.N.-brokered ceasefire deal.    

"We have seen much evidence of further brutality and oppression against innocent civilians," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One headed for Florida.    

He said the U.S. government was awaiting international envoy Kofi Annan's assessment of actions by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.