Speaking during a visit to Iran, Mr Annan said there could be
"improved conditions on the ground" by Thursday morning, if all sides
did so.
On Tuesday, the government failed to withdraw its troops and weaponry from population centres as it had agreed.
There was also no let-up in violence, with at least 100 people reported dead.
Activists said at least three people had been killed on
Wednesday after fresh shelling in the city of Homs and raids in Deraa
province.
'Positive answers'
Mr Annan told reporters in Tehran that he had received
"further clarifications" from the government of President Bashar
al-Assad on how it intended to suspend hostilities and respect his
six-point peace plan.
"We have been in touch with them and have had positive
answers from them and have also approached governments with influence to
ensure that all parties respect the ceasefire," he said.
"If everyone respects it, I think by six in the morning on Thursday we shall see improved conditions on the ground."
But he said the government was still seeking assurances that
opposition forces would also stop the fighting "so that we could see
cessation of all the violence".
Mr Annan was speaking after talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, during which he appealed for Tehran's support.
He said the region "cannot afford another shock" and warned
that any miscalculation or mistakes in Syria could have "unimaginable
consequences".
Iran has been a key ally of Damascus, but Mr Salehi said that
"as long as the peace plan continues its approach, Iran will support
it".
China, which has blocked - with Russia - two UN Security
Council resolutions condemning the crackdown on dissent, also called on
the Syrian government to "respond" to Mr Annan's peace initiative and
"fully implement the commitment of the ceasefire and withdrawal of
troops".
The US permanent representative to the UN, Susan Rice, who is chairing the Security Council, said on Tuesday: "The Syrian leadership should now seize the opportunity to make a fundamental change of course."
The Syrian government initially agreed to the deal, but then on Sunday said it wanted written guarantees of a "halt to all violence" from all opposition and armed rebel groups, along with a promise from foreign states that they would not continue to support the rebels.
The main rebel force, the Free Syrian Army, has said that while its fighters are "committed" to Mr Annan's ceasefire, they do not recognise the Assad government "and for that reason we will not give guarantees".
The FSA has also warned that it will resume attacks on government forces if they did not fully comply with the Annan plan.
Damascus also insisted that UN observers had to arrive in Syria for the ceasefire to begin, reversing - and effectively rejecting - Mr Annan's timeline.
Troops backed by tanks also carried out a series of raids in the southern city of Deraa and several surrounding towns.
"The army is exploiting the ceasefire to arrest more dissidents than ever, and security forces are burning houses," activist Omar al-Hariri told the Reuters news agency, adding that he had never seen so many troops.
Restrictions on reporting in Syria mean such reports are impossible to independently verify.
Meanwhile, Turkish media reported that shots fired by Syrian troops had hit a refugee camp just across the border. CNN-Turk television showed gunfire directed from a border post flying the Syrian flag.
Turkey is now hosting some 24,500 refugees from Syria, after the number rose steeply in the past week. There are also 10,000 refugees registered in Lebanon and 7,000 in Jordan.
The UN says more than 9,000 people have been killed in the uprising, which began more than a year ago. In February, the government put the death toll at 3,838 - 2,493 civilians and 1,345 security forces personnel.
source:bbc news
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