Syria has accepted a six-point peace plan that was proposed by Kofi Annan and backed by the UN Security Council, Annan said in a statement issued by his spokesman in Beijing today.
Mr Annan, the joint special envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League, "views this as an important initial step that could bring an end to the violence and the bloodshed, provide aid to the suffering, and create an environment conducive to a political dialogue that would fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people," the statement said.
But implementation of the plan will be key and Mr Annan would be working with all parties at all levels to ensure it was implemented, the statement added.
The United Nations said today that more than 9,000 civilians have been killed since fighting broke out last year, an increase of nearly 1,000 over its previous estimate.
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad visited a rebel stronghold in the city of Homs that his forces had overrun after weeks of shelling and gunfire, apparently to make the point that he can now tour the streets of the once bitterly fought-over district.
Syrian state television showed video of the president, wearing an open-necked shirt with a blue suit, walking casually in the devastated streets of the Baba Amr district and talking to groups of supporters.
Baba Amr was an emblem of opposition and rebel army defiance until it was reclaimed by government forces early this month after 26 days of heavy bombardment which opposition activists said was totally indiscriminate.
"Life will return to normal in Baba Amr, better than it was before," Dr Assad said.
Activists say hundreds of civilians and regime opponents were killed in Baba Amr last month by shelling and snipers.
"He thinks he won and scored a great victory," said opposition activist Saif Hurria, speaking by telephone from Homs. "He wants to show the world he defeated and put down a revolution. But ... it seems he can't even release the video until he has left Homs. That is not control"
Meanwhile, Syrian troops crossed into Lebanon today, destroying farm buildings and clashing with Syrian rebels who had taken refuge there, residents and local security sources said. They said Syrian forces crossed a few hundred metres into Lebanese territory. A security source in Beirut said clashes had taken place near the poorly marked border but did not confirm Syrian troops had entered Lebanon.
Shells hit north Lebanon last week and residents say Syrian troops have briefly crossed the frontier while pursuing fleeing rebels in recent months.
"More than 35 Syrian soldiers came across the border and started to destroy houses," said Abu Ahmed (63) a resident of the mainly Sunni Muslim rural mountain area of al-Qaa.
Another resident said that the soldiers, some travelling in armoured personnel vehicles, fired rocket-propelled grenades and exchanged heavy machinegun fire with rebels. He said soldiers destroyed one house with a bulldozer.
The Lebanese army blocked off the area, where hundreds of Syrian refugees - some of them active members of the rebel Free Syrian Army - have fled a year-long revolt by mostly Sunni Muslim dissidents against Dr Assad, a member of Syria's Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shia Islam.
Residents said the Syrian troops remained several hundred metres inside Lebanese territory. Lebanon has had a complicated relationship with Syria, which continues to exercise some influence over its neighbour despite the 2005 departure of thousands of Syrian troops and intelligence operatives from Lebanese soil.
Agencies