The United States and the United Nations have condemned a Syrian attack on a refugee camp in Turkey in which at least five people were wounded, as well as the death of a TV cameraman in Lebanon who was killed in crossfire. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Monday said that based on ongoing violence, Washington is "not hopeful" that Tuesday's cessation of hostilities will take place. But she did not give up hope on international envoy Kofi Annan's efforts to end bloodshed in Syria. Annan is due to visit one of the refugee camps in Turkey Tuesday ahead of his visit to Turkey and Iran later this week aimed at continuing his mediation efforts.
The U.N. made a final plea for the Syrian government to comply with a Tuesday deadline for ending military action against civilians and deplored fatal cross-border shootings from Syria into Turkey and Lebanon. U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Monday "the deadline has not shifted" and that "Syrian authorities need to implement the promises and the commitments that they have entered into fully and unconditionally." Syrian state TV reported Monday that Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem is traveling to Moscow to discuss the security situation inside Syria. Government forces, meanwhile, continued to attack areas in numerous parts of the country Monday, dimming prospects for a diplomatic solution to the Syrian conflict.