UN envoy calls for ceasefire in Syria

DAMASCUS - The UN-Arab League joint special representative Lakhdar Brahimi left Syria on Tuesday, after finishing his four-day visit aiming to garner support for his proposal for a cease-fire during the upcoming holiday of Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

"We hope that the Eid in Syria would be calm if not happy," he said, adding that he will return to Syria after the Eid and "if we find out that this calmness is actually achieved during the Eid and continues, we will try to build on it."

Earlier, Brahimi said Sunday that "if each of the parties takes decision on its own, then there would be a collective decision on the non-use of arms during the Eid."

Brahimi said he had received promises, not commitments, from all opposition groups outside Syria to the idea of ceasefire.

Observers believe that guaranteeing the various armed groups in Syria is almost impossible as foreign elements have been flowing into the country to wage jihad against the government troops.

The Syrian government has repeatedly accused Western powers of supporting the armed groups on ground, especially Turkey and France.

Earlier in the day, Syria's Foreign Ministry unleashed scathing criticism against France, urging the international community to seriously deal with France's support to the armed groups.

Meanwhile, the UN said on Monday it is planning a peacekeeping force for Syria if a proposed ceasefire takes hold in the conflict- torn Middle East country, which has been suffering from a political crisis since March 2011.