A U.N.-brokered peace agreement in Syria is only being “partially observed,” according to the opposition, as Bashar al-Assad’s heavily armed troops are still in city streets hours after the 6:00 a.m. cease-fire deadline. White House press secretary Jay Carney called the agreement “tentative” and said “we cannot call what’s happening on the ground a full cease-fire.” Still, heavy clashes seem to have temporarily halted, and the U.N.’s Kofi Annan said he was “encouraged” by the relative calm even as activists protested to test the ceasefire. But the country’s defense ministry reserved the right to retaliate against “armed terrorist groups,” casting doubt on the agreement’s longer-term viability.
