Syria has failed to comply with its obligation under a peace plan to pull troops and heavy weapons out of urban areas, the UN secretary-general alerted.

Ban Ki-moon has called for an observer mission to be expanded to 300 members in a letter to the UN Security Council, as cited by BBC.

Ban said although the ceasefire agreed by both sides following a UN Security Council resolution was incomplete, both sides said they were committed to ending the violence.

He said the level of violence dropped markedly on 12 April, the day the ceasefire called for by  Annan came into effect.

But he said violent incidents and reported casualties had escalated again in recent days and "the cessation of armed violence in all its forms is therefore clearly incomplete".

He said the observers had been prevented from going to the city of Homs which has seen much of the violence in recent months.

Despite the violence and the gravity of the situation, Ban also said "an opportunity for progress may now exist".

He wants the observers deployed to 10 locations in stages over the coming weeks as conditions allow.

The council is only expected to vote on a new resolution on Syria next week.

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