THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT has declared victory in its year-long battle against an anti-government uprising, and said it will begin to withdraw troops from urban areas once security has been restored.

The state-run SANA news agency carried comments from Jihad Makdissi who said the regime of president Bashar al-Assad had successfully quelled the uprising against him, which began a year ago this month.

In an interview carried on state TV, Middle East Online quotes Makdissi as saying:

The battle to topple the state is over, and the battle to solidify stability… and move on towards a renewed Syria has begun.

The presence of the Syrian army in major cities, he added, was “for defensive purposes” in order to protect the civilians who remained there, he said, adding that UN envoy Kofi Annan had himself acknowledged “illegitimate armed elements” within the anti-government forces.

Makdessi’s speech was in response to Annan’s calls yesterday an immediate ceasefire, when the former UN secretary-general had asked Assad to be “the stronger party” in a “gesture of good faith” to the less well-armed opposition.

“The Syrian army is not happy to be present in residential areas,” Makdessi said. “Once peace and security prevail in these areas, the army will not stay nor wait for Kofi Annan to leave. This is a Syrian matter.”

Six-point plan

Annan’s six-point proposal to end the violence, which has been accepted by Assad, requires the government to immediately pull troops and heavy weapons out of cities and towns, and abide by a two-hour halt in fighting everyday to allow humanitarian access and medical evacuations.

“The government must stop first and then discuss a cessation of hostilities with the other side,” Annan spokesman Ahmad Fawzi told reporters in Geneva yesterday. “We are appealing to the stronger party to make a gesture of good faith… the deadline is now.”

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, discussed with Saudi officials ways to pressure Assad to end the bloodshed.

“I believe we all agree on the need for an immediate cease-fire to the systematic killing,” Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal said at a joint news conference with Clinton.

He said arming the Syrian opposition is a “duty” so that it can defend itself against Assad’s onslaught.

Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have spoken about possible military intervention, from arming Syria’s badly overmatched rebels to creating safe zones from which the rebels can operate.

The UN estimates that over 9,000 people have been killed in the uprising.

Additional reporting by Bassem Mroue, AP

Read: Syrian regime accepts UN ceasefire plan >