With less than a day away for the Syrian cease-fire, Kofi Annan urged Iran to support the peace effort and cautioned against arming rebel forces, saying that further militarization of the conflict would be “disastrous”. However, while he said the Syrian authorities had assured him that they would respect the cease-fire , reports from activists suggest government forces were still attacking the protesters. Annan said, “I have received government assurances they will respect the cease-fire. If everyone respects it, I think by 6 o’clock in the morning on Thursday the 12^th we should see a much improved situation on the ground,” adding that the authorities in Damascus were still pushing for guarantees that the rebels would observe a truce. His remarks to reporters in Tehran offered a display of qualified optimism despite what appeared to be Syria’s refusal to take the first step in Mr. Annan’s plan by returning its security forces to their barracks by Tuesday, leaving senior diplomats around the world preparing for an even more unlikely cease-fire, reports the International Herald Tribune.