Syria says six soldiers killed in Idlib bombing

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Six members of the Syrian security forces were killed in a bombing in the northern province of Idlib on Wednesday, state news agency SANA said.

It said an "armed terrorist group" carried out the bombing, which also injured 11 others.

It was earlier reported that Morocco's foreign minister urged Russia to press the Syrian government to adhere to a ceasefire and withdraw forces from cities in accordance with U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan.

"We continue to wish Annan's mission success and believe the Russian Federation can play an effective role in convincing the Syrian government to respect the ceasefire regime and the conditions for the withdrawal of forces from cities," Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad-Eddine Al-Othmani, speaking through a translator, told a joint news conference after talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Separately, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem promised on Wednesday to adhere to UN-Arab envoy Koffi Annan's peace initiative for Syria.

He said a plan for 250 international observers was a "reasonable and logical" number to monitor a days-old ceasefire in the country, after the United Nations said it may need more troops and aircraft.

Moallem said he welcomes the presence of peacekeepers "sent by neutral countries such as the BRICS group". “Syria will not allow terrorists to spoil the people’s lives," he added.

The truce has held in some parts of Syria since President Bashar al-Assad pledged to enforce it last week. But in strong opposition areas such as Homs, Hama, Idlib and Deraa the army continues to attack and battle rebels, using heavy weapons in violation of the pledge by Damascus to pull back.

Moualem, speaking through an English translator during a press briefing in Beijing, said he did not know why more observers would be needed, and said that the U.N. could use Syrian aircraft if needed.

China's foreign minister met with his Syrian counterpart on Wednesday in the latest show of Beijing's support for Damascus despite its tentative engagement with Syria's opposition.

Yang Jiechi exchanged views with Walid Moallem on the latest Syrian developments "in a broad and extensive way," the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Yang as saying.

Separately, amateur video purported to show smoke rising above buildings in the city of Daraa on Wednesday morning.

Gun fire could also be heard on the footage.

AP/Reuters/LBCI

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