BEIRUT — Syrian troops defied a U.N.-brokered cease-fire plan on Tuesday, launching fresh attacks on rebellious areas, but special envoy Kofi Annan said there was still time to salvage a truce that he described as the only chance for peace.

More than a year into the Syrian uprising, the international community has nearly run out of options for halting the slide toward civil war. On Tuesday, Annan insisted his peace initiative remains “very much alive” — in part because there is no viable alternative.

The U.N. has ruled out any military intervention of the type that helped bring down Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi, and sanctions and other attempts to isolate President Bashar Assad have done little to stop the bloodshed.

“If you want to take (the plan) off the table, what will you replace it with?” Annan told reporters in Hatay, Turkey, where he toured a camp sheltering Syrian refugees.

Facing a Tuesday deadline to pull back its tanks and troops, the Syrian government had said it was withdrawing from certain areas, including the rebellious central province of Homs. But France called the claims a “flagrant and unacceptable lie,” and activists said there was no sign of a withdrawal.

The council strongly backed Annan, with all 15 members – including Syrian allies China and Russia – urging Syria’s leaders to halt all military action so a cease-fire can take effect at 6 a.m. on Thursday, as called for by Annan’s plan. It also called on the opposition to stop all violence if the Syrian forces halt attacks.

According to Annan’s peace plan, the pullback of Syrian forces was supposed to be followed by a full cease-fire by all within 48 hours. The halt in fighting would then pave the way for an observer mission and talks between both sides over the country’s future.

 

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