Syrian peace treaty collapses

A UN-brokered plan to stop the bloodshed in Syria has effectively collapsed after President Bashar al-Assad's government raised new, last-minute demands.

The truce plan, devised by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, was supposed to go into effect tomorrow.

But Syria's Foreign Ministry said that the government needs written guarantees from opposition fighters that they will lay down their weapons.

The commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army, Riad al-Asaad, said that while his group is ready to abide by a truce, it does not recognise the regime "and for that reason will not give guarantees".