Syria says it will stop fighting by UN deadline
Syria promised to stop fighting in time for Thursday's deadline for a cease-fire brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan but reserved the right to respond to any aggression, a significant hedge against any end in the fighting that has convulsed the nation for more than a year.
The statement came Wednesday as Annan was in Tehran to seek support for his faltering plan to stop the country's slide toward civil war. Iran is one of Syria's most powerful allies.(AP)
