Syria says it will comply with truce deadline (Video)

In a letter the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Damascus agreed "to cease all military fighting throughout Syrian territory as of 6 a

The statement also said that the Syrian government reserves "the right to respond proportionately to any attacks carried out by armed terrorist groups against civilians, government forces or public and private property".

Annan said he would continue to work with the government and opposition to ensure complete implementation of his six-point peace plan. The government's pledge to stop army operations means the opposition must now also honour the ceasefire, Russia's deputy foreign minister said.

"The Syrian government has declared it will cease fire as of 6 am on April 12. Now it's up to the armed opposition," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Twitter. "Those are theconditions of the Annan plan."m (0300 GMT) tomorrow, Thursday," Ahmad F.

Al Jazeera's Cath Turner, reporting from the UN in New York, said the statement by the Syrian government "has been greeted with a great deal of suspicion and cynicism".

"Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, and the current president of the UN Security Council, spoke about the letter that has been submitted by president Assad, and she was very clear in the fact that she was not taking anything in that letter at its word, because, she said, President Assad did not have a very good track record at keeping his word," our correspondent said.

Iranian support Meanwhile, Annan has welcomed Iranian support for his efforts to secure peace in Syria, telling Tehran that it can be "part of the solution".Annan was speaking in Tehran on Wednesday following talks with Ali Akbar Salehi, the Iranian foreign minister.