But he said that ending the conflict there required a political solution, not a military one, and emphasized that the primary role of U.N. troops would be to monitor any cease-fire agreed upon by the warring parties.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry statement backtracks on previous public commitments given by the government that it will fully abide by the U.N. six-point plan, which paves the way for a cease-fire, due to be implemented by Tuesday.