Erdogan Says Syria Failing to Abide by Peace Plan

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Thursday accused the Syrian regime of failing to abide by the ceasefire and peace plan hammered out by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

"There's a six-point plan put forward by Annan... Is it being implemented? I'm not of the opinion it is being implemented," Erdogan told reporters before leaving for Saudi Arabia where he was to have talks on the Syrian crisis.

Eearlier Thursday Annan said a ceasefire in Syria appeared to be holding on its first day, but he accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of failing to fulfill a U.N.-backed peace plan and urged the U.N. Security Council to demand that Syrian troops be withdrawn from cities and moved back to barracks.

To restore "confidence" among the Syrian population, "tanks must be withdrawn from cities," Erdogan said.

He also called on Damascus to hold "transparent and democratic" elections.

Turkey, which has given shelter to several thousands refugees from neighboring Syria, has been particularly outspoken in its criticism of the Assad regime.