UN Envoy Says Syrian Government, Some Rebels Agree to Truce

International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says the Syrian government and some rebel groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad have agreed to a cease-fire during the Eid al-Adha holiday, which begins Thursday.

The U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria told reporters Wednesday in Cairo that he hoped a multi-day cease-fire could lead to a longer truce as part of a political process.

Syria's foreign ministry said in a statement it was still weighing the cease-fire and would make a final decision Thursday.

Brahimi is due to brief the U.N. Security Council later Wednesday about his recent talks with Assad and other leaders in the region.

A cease-fire deal brokered by Brahimi's predecessor, former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, fell apart shortly after it took effect in April.

U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said Monday he was making preparations for a Syria peacekeeping force if a cease-fire takes hold.

Weapons 

Meanwhile, Russia's top general says Syrian rebels have acquired portable surface-to-air missiles, including a model made in the United States.

Russia's Interfax news agency on Wednesday quoted general staff chief General Nikolai Makarov as saying the shoulder-mounted systems were made in various countries, but that who supplied them to the rebels must still be determined.

Russia and China vetoed three rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Syria, citing their opposition to foreign interference.  

Several Western nations have given the rebels non-lethal support, but have resisted providing arms.  Russia has long been a supplier of weapons to the Syrian government.