China's foreign ministry on Thursday welcomed what it called the Syrian government's decision to uphold a "comprehensive ceasefire,” and urged it to fulfill its commitments.

"This will help ease the tense situation in Syria, and is an important step towards a political solution," said ministry spokesman Liu Weimin, after a U.N.-backed ceasefire to end 13 months of bloodshed in Syria came into force.

A ceasefire in Syria appeared to be holding on Thursday, as the Syrian government and its foes traded charges of trying to wreck U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan.

Renewed bloodshed on Thursday killed at least 23 people, putting to the test the hard-won ceasefire plan.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle Wednesday pressed Russia to distance itself from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's deadly crackdown on opposition rebels.

"Russia has to make clear that it does not want to have anything to do with these acts of violence and this repression," Westerwelle said on the sidelines of a two-day meeting with Group of Eight ministers in Washington.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she is alarmed about the "ongoing violence" in Syria on the eve of a ceasefire deadline.

In remarks to the Group of Eight foreign ministers, she also voiced concern about the problems facing U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan as he tries to get Syria to implement his peace plan that calls for a ceasefire on Thursday.

International envoy Kofi Annan said Wednesday he had received a written pledge from the Syrian regime to halt fighting from dawn on Thursday in line with his U.N. and Arab League-backed peace plan.

Annan had received a letter from Syria's foreign minister pledging "to cease all military fighting throughout Syrian territory as of 6:00 am tomorrow, while reserving the right to respond proportionately to any attacks carried out by armed terrorist groups against civilians, government forces or public and private property'," his spokesman said in a statement.

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday that it is Lebanon’s “sovereign right” to explore its oil wealth.

He stated before reporters: “Lebanon has the right to acquire its oil wealth through the resistance should diplomacy fail.”

Baath Party leader Fayez Shukur relayed on Wednesday Syrian President Bashar Assad’s interest in the death of al-Jadeed television cameraman Ali Shaaban.

He said in a statement after holding talks with Assad in Damascus: “Assad also voiced his keenness on uncovering the details of the incident.”

The Army Command announced on Wednesday that it has launched investigations into the death of al-Jadeed television cameraman Ali Shaaban.

It said in a statement that it has contacted Syria to inquire about the details of the incident in order to determine who should be held responsible for it and prevent similar accidents from taking place in the future.

State commissioner to the military court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Monday four people with smuggling arms to Syria, the National News Agency reported.

The four charged include a Syrian national, according to NNA.

China on Wednesday called on Syria to heed a plan aimed at bringing peace to the conflict-ridden country, saying it was "deeply concerned" by the continuing violence.

The call came after the Syrian government missed a key Tuesday deadline to withdraw troops from populated centers, under the six-point plan brokered by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.