World powers call Syria ceasefire 'fragile' first step

World powers on Thursday called the tentative truce in Syria a "fragile" first step while urging Damascus to carry out a broader peace plan and permit international observers to monitor it.

As the Group of Eight industrial powers ended a two-day conference here, Washington also urged Iran to "credibly" answer concerns about its nuclear aims at weekend talks and warned North Korea of UN action if it launches a rocket.

It was not immediately clear how much Russia -- Syria's main military and diplomatic ally -- supported the position of fellow G8 members Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: "I was encouraged that (Russian) Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov agreed with Kofi Annan that this fragile first step is only that -- a first step."

Clinton met with Lavrov on the sidelines of the G8 meetings in a bid to have Russia use its influence with Syria to end 13 months of violence that has left thousands dead, although Moscow has put the onus on the opposition to do so.

Annan, the UN and Arab League envoy whose mission Russia has backed, said that Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has not abided by his plan and called on the UN Security Council to demand that troops are pulled out of cities.

"If it holds, a ceasefire is an important step, but it represents just one element of the special envoy's plan," Clinton told reporters following the talks at Blair House, a guest house across from the White House.

Not only has Assad failed to withdraw forces from cities, she said, he has yet to permit peaceful protests, allow access for aid workers and journalists and begin a democratic political transition, all in line with the plan.

"The Annan plan is not a menu of options. It is a set of obligations," Clinton said. "They cannot pick and choose."

White House spokesman Jay Carney said it was not just President Barack Obama and other US officials who were calling for full implementation.

"It's the message of the international community. There's broad support for the Kofi Annan mission and a Kofi Annan plan on the United Nations Security Council and throughout the world," Carney told reporters.

The chief US diplomat also renewed Washington's calls for Assad to step down, although the Annan plan does not explicitly call for such a development, in deference to Russian opposition.

She said the United States also supports UN plans to send an advance team "immediately" to visit Syria to pave the way for deploying monitors to ensure the ceasefire is being carried out.

"Both will need complete freedom of movement, unimpeded communications and access throughout the country and to all Syrians as well as firm security guarantees from all parties," she said.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the decline in violence "is a first fragile step towards peace that needs to be strengthened and sustained," as he urged the Assad regime to implement fully the peace plan it agreed to.

"The opposition must also ensure that they adhere to the ceasefire and work to strengthen and broaden it," Hague added.

"We urgently need to see monitors in Syria to assess implementation," he said.

France has also publicly backed sending monitors.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called the truce "a window of opportunity that should be seized" in order to promote a broader peace, but noted the situation was still "very fragile."

He told reporters that Western pressure on Russia to influence Syria to stop the violence had paid off. "We were right not to waver in our efforts to influence Russia," Westerwelle said.

During her press conference, Clinton urged Iran to "credibly" answer international concerns over its suspect nuclear program during talks Saturday in Istanbul with five of the G8 powers, plus China.

These will be the first talks since a similar meeting broke up inconclusively more than a year ago.

The West suspects Iran's uranium enrichment program masks a drive to produce a nuclear weapon. Iran denies the charge, insisting its program is purely peaceful.

Clinton also warned North Korea of UN Security Council action if it goes ahead with a rocket launch that she says would use ballistic missile technology.

The North says the Unha-3 (Galaxy-3) rocket, ostensibly carrying a satellite payload, could go up any day between now and Monday to coincide with Sunday's centenary of the birth of its founding leader Kim Il-Sung.

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