Second Conference of the Group of Friends of the Syrian People at the Istanbul Congress Center in Istanbul, Turkey, April 1, 2012. Photo: wiki commons.

CS Monitor – Each side in the conflict is accusing the other of simply preparing for the cease-fire collapse that both seem to expect. Government forces have yet to pull all their heavy weapons out of population centers as called for in the six-point cease-fire plan, and opposition forces reportedly are using a partial lull in the fighting to amass arms.

With the UN-brokered Syrian cease-fire showing signs of falling apart, the Western and Arab countries supporting Syria’s opposition are searching for ways to ratchet up the pressure on the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

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