Syria warns West against intervention

BEIRUT (AP) -- The gunmen in eastern Syria, wielding grenade launchers and assault rifles, announced on the Internet they were forming the "God is Great" Brigade and joining the country's rebellion. They swore allegiance to the Free Syrian Army and vowed to topple President Bashar Assad.

But unlike many other rebel bands, they wrapped their proclamation in hard-line Islamic language, declaring their fight to be a "jihad," or holy war, and urging others to do the same.

"To our fellow revolutionaries, don't be afraid to declare jihad in the path of God. Seek victory from the One God. God is the greatest champion," the brigade's spokesman said in the January video. "Instead of fighting for a faction, fight for your nation, and instead of fighting for your nation, fight for God."

As Syria's uprising evolves into an armed insurgency, parts of the movement are taking on overt religious overtones. Islamic movements in and out of the country are vying to gain influence over the revolt in hopes of gathering power if Assad falls.

The Islamists' role complicates choices for the United States and other nations who say they want to help the opposition without empowering radicals; a string of anti-regime suicide bombings have raised fears of al-Qaida involvement.

The groups diverge from violent jihadi movements to political moderates like the Muslim Brotherhood, which has already used the Arab Spring revolutions to vault to power in Tunisia and Egypt elections.

Their growing influence is seeding divisions within an already fractured opposition. A week ago, several prominent figures quit the Syrian National Council, the body of exiles that has tried to emerge as the opposition's political leadership. They complained the fundamentalist Brotherhood dominates the group.

The council is "a liberal front for the Muslim Brotherhood," said Kamal Labwani, a veteran secular dissident, who broke away. He said the Brotherhood was trying to build allegiances on the ground in Syria.

"One day we will wake up to find an armed militia ... controlling the country through their weapons," Labwani said.

The U.S. has rejected sending arms to rebels, fearing a sectarian civil war. U.S. officials also warn that al-Qaida's militants in Iraq are infiltrating Syria - worries heightened by attacks in Damascus and Aleppo using al-Qaida's signature tactic, suicide bombings.

An Islamic militant group, the Al-Nusra Front, on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing that killed 27 people in Damascus over the weekend. The group appears to be a front for al-Qaida's Iraq branch, said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters of intelligence.

Judging the extent of Islamist influence in Syria's uprising is difficult, in part because Syria has largely prevented journalists from reporting on the conflict.

Opposition activists are reluctant to talk about any Islamist role because Assad's regime depicts their movement as solely a campaign by terrorists and Islamic radicals. Such rhetoric is highly effective in scaring religious minorities and moderate Sunnis away from supporting the uprising.

But activists acknowledge Islamists could have appeal for an opposition bloodied by Assad's brutal campaign against the uprising, which the U.N. says has left more than 8,000 dead.

"Repression breeds extremism," said Omar, a student activist in Damascus. "People left on their own will resort to anything and anyone to help them." He gave only his first name for fear of reprisals.

Syria's uprising is profoundly divided. The revolt has been led by the country's Sunni Muslim majority and reflects the community's diversity, from the secular to the religious, united by the drive to oust Assad.

- There are the masses of peaceful protesters around the country, organized largely by local youth activists. These tend to reflect the makeup of towns or cities where they take place - some areas are more conservative than others. Since protests began, organizers have sought to keep them non-ideological. Protests are often festive in tone, with dancing and songs. But slogans for "jihad" have popped up in some places.

- There are the armed rebels - soldiers who defected from Assad's army and locals who have taken up weapons. Usually, a unit of defecting soldiers or other fighters in a particular area announces the formation of a "brigade," often in an Internet video like that of the "God is Great" Brigade, a group of fighters in the eastern region of Deir el-Zour.

Most declare nominal allegiance to the Turkey-based Free Syrian Army. But the brigades appear to be largely on their own in finding weapons and organizing.

Some brigade videos feature no Islamic rhetoric, while others are rich with the rhetoric of ultraconservative movements - suggesting they back hard-line agendas.

The Free Syrian Army's leadership in Turkey is secular-leaning, and there have been reports of frictions with the Brotherhood that have made the army reluctant to work closely with the council.

Ultraconservative Islamists known as Salafis are gaining ground among some factions. Salafis preach a strict doctrine similar to that in Saudi Arabia and contend that no law but Islamic Shariah law is permissible.

Sheikh Adnan al-Arour, a Syrian Salafi cleric based in the Gulf, regularly appears in fiery monologues on Saudi TV channels calling for jihad against the "infidel" Assad regime.

His influence is shown by the open allegiance declared by several rebel brigades. One, called the "Supporters of God Brigade" in Hama, praised him as "the leader of the revolution" in February.

- Finally, there is the Syrian National Council, the 270-member group made up mainly of exiles headed by secular dissident Burhan Ghalioun. It has tried with little success to gather the opposition under its umbrella.

A video posted on YouTube last week showed a former Syrian Brotherhood leader, Ali Sadr el-Din Bayanouni, admitting the Brotherhood nominated Ghalioun as council leader merely as a "front" more easily accepted by the West.

"We did not want the Syrian regime to take advantage of the fact that Islamists are leading the SNC," Bayanouni says in the video.

A London-based Brotherhood spokesman, Zuhair Salem, denied the group was trying to dominate.

"We joined the revolution to bolster it, not to control it," he said.

The Brotherhood has had no organization on the ground since the 1980s, when it waged a violent campaign, assassinating regime figures. Assad's father Hafez Assad retaliated by almost destroying their main stronghold, the city of Hama, killing thousands and sending members fleeing abroad. Since then, mere Brotherhood membership has been punishable by death.

Ex-council member Labwani and others in the opposition say the Brotherhood is using the council to rebuild by distributing money and weapons, key levers for influence. The Brotherhood has a powerful donor network among members in exile and supporters in oil-rich Gulf countries.

Khalaf Dahowd, from the opposition group the National Coordination Body, said Brotherhood domination of the council "has led to doubts and suspicions among the more secular factions in Syria about the post-Assad period."

It is unclear how much weaponry is reaching rebels, most of whom complain they receive no outside help. That illustrates the difficulty of any group dominating the opposition amid the divisions and regime onslaught.

But Islamists appear to be maneuvering for their chance, said Bilal Saab, a Middle East expert at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California.

The Brotherhood "are lying low, waiting to see how events unfold and reap the fruits of the fight."

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Keath reported from Cairo. AP correspondent Kimberly Dozier contributed from Washington.

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26 March 2012 Last updated at 01:30



Syria's divided opposition groups are due to meet in Turkey to try to draw up a "national pact" on how to unseat President Bashar al-Assad's government.

The main opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council (SNC), says all other anti-Assad groups have been invited to the gathering in Istanbul.

The opposition has been weakened by internal disputes, losing support of many Syrians fighting the government.

Russia has said it backs UN envoy Kofi Annan's peace mission in Syria.

During talks in Moscow, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said it may be the last chance to avoid a "prolonged and bloody civil war" in Syria.

He also urged Mr Annan, the United Nations and African Union envoy to Syria, to work with both Damascus and the opposition to end the violence.

Mr Annan has proposed a six-point peace plan, which calls on government forces to immediately halt the use of heavy weapons in populated areas. He also wants the armed rebels to halt their attacks.

Mr Annan will later go to China.

Russia has vetoed two UN Security Council resolutions on the crisis in Syria, but last week, with China, supported a UN statement on the Annan mission.

Clashes continued across Syria on Sunday, with Human Rights Watch accusing government forces of using civilians as human shields.

Activists reported further bombardments and casualties in the Homs area, killing at least five people.

Homs has been relentlessly targeted, activists say
Shelling was also reported in Hama, and tanks were seen in the streets of the southern town of Nawa, the Local Coordination Committees said.

More than 50 people were reported to have been killed in shelling or shooting by the security forces on Saturday, many of them in Homs.

The UN says the conflict has cost more than 8,000 lives since it began a year.

The Syrian government blames violence on "armed terrorist gangs" and says some 3,000 members of the security forces have been killed.

Foreign media face severe restrictions on reporting in Syria, and it is hard to verify the claims of either side.

Frustration

The SNC says it wants to hammer out a pact of shared objectives with all opposition groups - including those that have recently broken away from the council - during the two-day meeting in Istanbul.

Officially, the US, the EU and many countries in the Middle East recognise the SNC, the BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul reports.

In practice, however, the SNC's failure to maintain the support of many anti-Assad activists is a source of frustration, and one reason that few countries are willing to start arming the opposition, our correspondent says.

To achieve the unity, he adds, there should be a substantial change in the SNC's leadership, as Paris-based chairman Burhan Ghalioun and his allies have been repeatedly criticised - even by other SNC members.

The meeting comes as the opposition Free Syrian Army and a rival military council have announced that they will work together to co-ordinate all military activity against the Syrian government.

It also comes ahead of the "Friends of Syria" gathering on 1 April - also in Istanbul.

So, creating a more credible opposition movement is an urgent priority if anti-Assad activists are to win more than the token support they have had so far, our correspondent says.

China hasn't considered attending "Friends of Syria" meeting(Xinhua)16:58, March 26, 2012 BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that, under the current situation, China has not considered attending the second "Friends of Syria" meeting scheduled to convene in Istanbul in April.

Hong Lei told a regular press briefing that China noted that the second meeting will be held in Turkey and had received an invitation.

"We think actions taken by the international community with regard to Syria should help ease the situation there, promote political dialogue, resolve disputes and maintain peace and stability in the Middle East," Hong said.

He added that the resolution of the Syrian issue requires the participation of, and dialogue between, major parties involved, and the international community should create favorable conditions for that.

China will continue to work with all sides and play an active and constructive role in finding a peaceful and proper resolution to the Syrian issue, the spokesman said.

The first "Friends of Syria" meeting was held in Tunisia in February, but failed to facilitate a settlement of the crisis.

27 March 2012 Last updated at 12:18 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page


Syria's government has agreed to accept the peace plan put forward by the United Nations and Arab League envoy, Kofi Annan, his spokesman has said.

Mr Annan said he considered it "an important initial step that could bring an end to the violence and the bloodshed", but implementation was key.

The plan calls for an end to the fighting in a UN-supervised ceasefire.

The opposition has dismissed Mr Annan's initiative, saying it will allow the government to continue its repression.

The government has been criticised for not keeping earlier promises to reform.

Mr Annan has written to the Syrian government urging it to put its commitments into immediate effect.

His spokesman said there was hope that this will create the right environment for a political dialogue to fulfil the aspirations of the Syrian people.

Mr Annan also thanked countries that have supported his attempts to mediate in the conflict.

By ANNE BARNARD and ALAN COWELL

Published: March 27, 2012








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AL QAA, Lebanon — Despite reports of a breakthrough in international efforts to end Syria’s bloodletting, heavy fighting broke out in this border region on Tuesday between Syrian government troops and rebels who have taken refuge in the area, according to activists and Lebanese military officers.






The clashes coincided with a quickened diplomatic pace as Kofi Annan, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, reported that President Bashar al-Assad’s government had agreed to a six-point peace plan to end a year-long uprising that has become the bloodiest and most sustained of the Arab Spring.

The announcement was greeted with some skepticism since Mr. Assad assented to various reforms and peace plans, notably a “road map” negotiated with the Arab League in November, but failed to implement them. Mr. Annan, a former secretary general of the United Nations who has been appointed by the United Nations and the Arab League to mediate in the Syria crisis, is visiting Beijing after discussions with Russian officials in Moscow. China and Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution that backed Mr. Assad leaving power to end the crisis.

In what seemed an effort to demonstrate control, Mr. Assad was reported by state media on Tuesday to have visited the Baba Amr neighborhood of the central city of Homs for the first time since it was besieged weeks ago by government troops who forced rebels to withdraw after a sustained and bloody barrage of tank, artillery and sniper fire.

Footage showed Mr. Assad, in an open-necked blue shirt, with a large retinue of officials and bodyguards inspecting shell-damaged buildings in Baba Amr. He was also reported to have told loyalist soldiers that their “sacrifices have kept the country safe,” promising them that the neighborhood will be a much better place and saying the military was not late in protecting the citizenry.

In Homs, Abu Jaafar, a Syrian activist in the Inshaat neighborhood bordering Baba Amr said he saw many tanks encircling Baba Amr and four helicopters flying over it. He said the reported visit by Mr. Assad was accompanied by “a lot of gunfire.”

The reported agreement on Mr. Annan’s plan came as Syrian exiled opposition groups gathered in Istanbul on Tuesday to seek a unified front in advance of a weekend meeting in the city of the so-called “Friends of Syria,” which includes Arab and Western governments seeking Mr. Assad’s ouster. It was not clear what impact Mr. Annan’s announcement would have on those talks.

During Tuesday’s fighting in the border region, a Lebanese military officer said no Syrian ground troops or vehicles had entered Lebanese territory. He said heavy fighting had broken out in an area of Syria where government forces and rebels had traded fire previously and a single mortar shell from those clashes landed 30 or 40 yards inside Lebanon. The officer spoke in return for anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

Lebanese troops were able to contact Syrian commanders, and the shelling stopped, the officer said. “There are clashes almost daily along the border in a strip of orchards and fields,” the officer said. “When we get close, they stop and each side blames the other for starting the shooting.”

The Al Qaa region is known as an area used by smugglers to cross to and from Syria and by Syrians fleeing to Lebanon. The Lebanese Army says its mission is to keep armed people out of Lebanon, to prevent fighting in Lebanon itself and to block arms shipments in either direction.

Acting on humanitarian grounds, the Lebanese military officer said, Lebanese authorities have relaxed inspections of travel documents for Syrians seeking to enter Lebanon, especially women and children. Most refugees crossing the border here go south to the Sunni Muslim town of Aarsel. But some refugees said the Lebanese Army seemed to taking sides against the Syrian rebels. A few hundred yards from the border on Tuesday, a distant popping of small arms fire could be heard but Lebanese soldiers blocked the way forward.There was no immediate response from the Syrian authorities to the announcement by Mr. Annan’s spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, that Mr. Assad’s government had accepted a six-point plan including proposals for a daily two-hour halt in fighting to permit the evacuation of the wounded and the supply of humanitarian aid and for broad talks about a political settlement.

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Anne Barnard reported from Al Qaa, Lebanon, and Alan Cowell from London. Reporting was contributed by Hwaida Saad and Hala Droubi from Beirut, Lebanon, Sebnem Arsu from Istanbul and Rick Gladstone from New York.

















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Assad and his buddies from the Sepah know that once they stop shooting, his days as president are numbered.

March 27, 2012 at 2:49 p.m.

Syrian authorities are deliberately and systematically targeting children, the United Nations' human rights chief, Navi Pillay, has told the BBC.

She said she was deeply concerned about the fate of hundreds of children being held in detention.

Ms Pillay said President Bashar al-Assad could end the detentions and stop the killing of civilians immediately, simply by issuing an order.

Syria has accepted a peace plan, amid scepticism about its intentions.

The peace plan was put forward by UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said President Assad would be judged by events.

"Given Assad's history of over-promising and under-delivering, that commitment must now be matched by immediate actions," she said.

"If he is ready to bring this dark chapter in Syria's history to a close he can prove it by immediately ordering regime forces to stop firing and begin withdrawing from populated areas," she added.

Navi Pillay told the BBC that the Syrian leader would face justice for the abuses carried out by his security forces.

Asked if President Assad bore command responsibility for the abuses, she said: "That is the legal situation. Factually there's enough evidence pointing to the fact that many of these acts are committed by the security forces [and] must have received the approval or the complicity at the highest level.

"Because President Assad could simply issue an order to stop the killings and the killings would stop."

Ms Pillay said she believed that the UN Security Council had enough reliable information to warrant referring Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"I feel that investigation and prosecution is a crucial element to deter and call a stop to these violations," she said.

She listed what she called "horrendous" treatment of children during the unrest.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says President Assad will be judged on his actions
"They've gone for the children - for whatever purposes - in large numbers. Hundreds detained and tortured... it's just horrendous.

"Children shot in the knees, held together with adults in really inhumane conditions, denied medical treatment for their injuries, either held as hostages or as sources of information."

Ms Pillay said anyone who committed such violations would be held to account.

"There is no statute of limitations so people like [Mr Assad] can go on for a very long time but one day they will have to face justice."

Late on Tuesday, several Syrian dissident groups agreed to recognise the Syrian National Council as the official representative of the Syrian people, after a meeting in Istanbul aimed at unifying the opposition movement.

The BBC correspondent at the gathering says he has not met a single delegate who thinks the president is even remotely sincere, and Mr Assad's opponents would never accept any deal allowing him to remain in power.

But our correspondent says their disunity was openly on display, with constant disputes and walkouts.

China mission

Mr Annan's spokesman, Ahmed Fawzi, said he considered the Syrian acceptance of the peace plan an "important initial step" to help bring an end to the violence, but added that implementation was key.

Mr Annan thanked countries that have supported his attempts to mediate in the conflict. He is currently in Beijing for talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Continue reading the main story
Annan's six-point peace plan
1. Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people

2. UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians

3. All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause

4. Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons

5. Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists

6. Authorities to respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully

The six-point plan calls for Mr Assad's government to pull troops and heavy weapons out of population centres, and for all parties to allow a daily two-hour pause in the fighting in order for humanitarian aid to reach affected areas. The plan also requests that the authorities release those detained in the uprising.

However, it does not impose any deadline for Mr Assad, or call for him to leave power.

The BBC's Barbara Plett at the UN says despite the scepticism, this is a new situation because it is the first strategy for ending the conflict that has the backing of the entire Security Council, including Syria's allies Russia and China.

She says it seems it was this international unity which forced President Assad to accept the plan.

Mr Annan has written to Mr Assad urging him to put his commitments into immediate effect.

BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen says the agreement is not as strongly worded as earlier UN resolutions, but it can be regarded as more pressure on Mr Assad and his government, which he seems to have decided that he cannot ignore.

However, implementing the plan is another matter, our correspondent adds.

Annan's deal is al-Assad's last chanceBy Ed Husain, Special to CNN
March 28, 2012 -- Updated 2335 GMT (0735 HKT)
A man runs carrying a toddler as children weep during fighting in the Bab Tudmor neighborhood of the city of Homs in FebruarySTORY HIGHLIGHTS
Ed Husain says Kofi Annan's deal with Syria's government is a new chance for regime
He says the plan to stop violence, allow humanitarian aid and more, is correct, crucial
He says al-Assad isn't trustworthy, but if pact fails his chance at avoiding world response is slim
Husain: Syrian government must stand down, opposition must unite to form credible alternative
Editor's note: Ed Husain is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of "The Islamist." He can be followed on Twitter via @Ed_Husain

(CNN) -- Once again, Syria is at a crossroads. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan deserves applause for brokering a ceasefire in a conflict where others have failed, and where some have been only too ready to press military buttons. Despite the seeming success of diplomacy, the conflict in Syria is far from over. This is only a new beginning.

Make no mistake: Annan's mission was not accepted by the regime in Damascus because they were instinctively in line with his thinking. Annan was embraced by the Chinese, Russians, and Syrians because he had come conveniently after the brutal killings in Hama and Homs. It was more timing than principle. If Annan had come while parts of Homs and Hama were under rebel control, then President Bashar al-Assad and his backers would have rejected the U.N. mission. Now that al-Assad has regained territory from the opposition, he is keen to be seen as a peacemaker.


Ed HusainAnnan's proposals are ambitious, morally right, and urgently needed. From the need for a political process where opposition elements and the regime are in direct talks, to troop withdrawals, to providing humanitarian assistance, to releasing those arbitrarily detained and allowing free media access to respecting the freedom to protest peacefully. But al-Assad violated all of these principles previously, so why would he behave any differently now?

His calculation must be altered to realize that the fear that he and his father, Hafez al-Assad, had instilled in the hearts of many Syrians is now gone. Suppressing popular protests with tanks cannot be repeated constantly with impunity, particularly after the U.S. presidential elections. The political will of the occupant of the White House next January could be stronger on intervening in Syria.

It is a question of time before the conflict in Syria flares up again. Annan and the countries involved will only contain, mitigate and offset the parties for a limited time while the opposition regroups. Too much blood has been spilled, too many wounds are open to pretend that violence will not resume again. (Indeed, there were reports after the agreement was reached that violence had resumed in several areas of the country, where government troops were accused of shelling and burning homes, killing dozens.)

While Annan's mission hopes to bring all sides to the table, the Syrian government and opposition cannot risk the continuing escalation of violence.

The answers to the conflict in Syria do not come from outside intervention, but from inside Syria's opposition movement. Those within the opposition who have opted for violence must immediately return to nonviolence. The lesson of this last year is that the al-Assad regime will meet opposition violence with a disproportionate response and fight to the death. With no coherent leadership, with deep disunity and no real vision for a new Syria, the opposition is fighting for an empty cause. It is more productive in the long term, therefore, that it uses the hiatus provided by Annan to peacefully mobilize the masses inside Damascus and Aleppo, publish a manifesto that gains purchase from minority Syrians that sectarian violence will not rise in a post-Assad Syria, and bring on board the major religious, tribal and business figures inside country.

Such measures will help build confidence among noninterventionists in the West, and will result in defections from the military and diplomatic top brass in al-Assad's government. Failure to do the hard work at the grass-roots level inside Syria while demanding Western military support would be both naïve and dangerous.

Conversely, the regime knows its days are numbered. It cannot butcher dissidents in Hama and Homs and expect to rule the country without introducing serious, substantial reforms. The constitutional referendum last month was held in haste to address the demand for this very thing. Not only does al-Assad need to win over the opposition's more pragmatic actors, but it must demonstrate adherence to Annan's plan.

But knowing the conniving and deceptive nature of this regime, I do not believe it will sincerely adhere to the letter and spirit of the Annan proposals. Annan may well prove to be al-Assad's last gamble. If he flunks this opportunity to allow for the six-point plan to demonstrably materialize, then it will be nigh impossible to stop Western firepower from pounding his presidential palace, apartments in Mezzeh, military barracks and bases in the Alawite mountains in Lattakia, Tartous and elsewhere.

For his own sake, for the sake of his family and countrymen, al-Assad must deliver. Annan is his last warning, and last chance.

He would be well advised to accept the invitations from Doha and Tunis to go into exile, save himself and his family from further danger, and rescue Syria from the increased risk of all-out civil war. The onus is on al-Assad, as much as it is on the opposition to illustrate that it can unite and offer a credible alternative to him.

30 March 2012 Last updated at 16:57 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page


The UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, expects the government to implement his peace plan immediately.

Mr Annan's spokesman, Ahmed Fawzi, told reporters: "The deadline is now."

The peace plan, which the government accepted on Tuesday, calls for a UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties.

But activists say government forces have been shelling the central city of Homs and fighting armed rebels in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

Five people were killed as clashes erupted in the town of Quriya, not far from the border with Iraq, when troops opened fire on a protest, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Earlier, two people were reportedly killed by government snipers in Homs and the city of Idlib, and two others were shot dead as they drove through a rural part of Homs province.

The Local Co-ordination Committees, an activist network, said 37 people had been killed nationwide, including four children and two women.

'Gesture of good faith'

Mr Fawzi said there clearly not been a "cessation of hostilities on the ground" in Syria this week despite the government's acceptance of Mr Annan's peace plan, which has the backing of the UN Security Council.

"This is our great concern," he told a news conference in Geneva. "We expect [President Bashar al-Assad] to implement this plan immediately."

Continue reading the main story
Annan's six-point peace plan
1. Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people

2. UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians

3. All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause

4. Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons

5. Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists

6. Authorities to respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully

In addition to a ceasefire, it calls for the withdrawal of soldiers and heavy weapons from cities, the release of prisoners, delivery of humanitarian aid to those who need it and free movement for journalists.

Mr Annan wanted the government to implement the ceasefire first, but also rebels to "lay down their arms and start talking", Mr Fawzi added.

"If you read the agreement... it specifically asks the government to withdraw its troops, to cease using heavy weapons in populated centres.

"The very clear implication here is that the government must stop first and then discuss a cessation of hostilities with the other side and with the mediator.

"The rationale is very simple. We are appealing to the stronger party to make a gesture of good faith and stop the killing. We are certain that if that happens, the opposition will follow suit."

He also said Mr Annan planned to visit Tehran and Riyadh to build support for the peace plan, but did not say when.

Meanwhile US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Saudi Arabia for talks on the Syrian crisis.

The US Treasury also announced it was imposing a travel ban and asset freeze on another three senior Syrian officials - Defence Minister Dawoud Rajiha, Deputy Army Chief-of-Staff Munir Adanov and Zuhair Shalish, also known as Dhu al-Himma Shalish, the head of presidential security.

'Terrorist acts'

On Thursday, Arab leaders meeting in Baghdad called for Mr Annan's peace plan to be implemented immediately and completely.

"The solution for the crisis is still in the hands of the Syrians as a government and opposition," Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi told the summit in the Iraqi capital.

Mr Arabi also called on the Security Council to issue a binding resolution to "not only stipulate the necessity of stopping the violence, but also finding a suitable mechanism to cease fire".

President Assad, who was not invited, said he accepted Mr Annan's initiative, but it was "necessary to obtain commitments from other parties to halt the terrorist acts by the armed groups and to withdraw the weapons of these groups and call on them to stop their terrorist acts".

Countries which "support the armed groups with money and weapons must be persuaded to stop this immediately", he added.

Meanwhile, the UK announced an extra £500,000 ($800,000) of support for Syrian opposition groups both inside and outside the country.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the money would provide "non-lethal" aid to political opponents of President Assad, including to help activists co-ordinate protests and gather evidence of atrocities.

He urged Mr Assad to accept he had no hope of political survival.

The media rights body, Reporters Without Borders, condemned the killing of two journalists who it said were shot dead after an attack by Syrian forces on a group of people trying to enter Syria from Turkey on Monday.

It named the victims as Walid Blidi, a British national of Algerian origin, and Nassim Terreri, whose nationality has yet to be established. A third journalist was wounded in the attack and is in a hospital in Antakya.

The UN says at least 9,000 people have been killed since pro-democracy protests erupted last March. The government says about 3,000 members of the security forces have died combating "armed terrorist gangs".

CNN) -- The Syrian military clashed with defectors in the capital of Damascus on Saturday as regime forces bombarded other towns with heavy gunfire despite the United Nations' call for a cease-fire, opposition activists said.

Gunfire between both sides erupted in the Homs neighborhoods of Baba Amr and Jouret Al-Arayes, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. Early-morning shelling also targeted other various areas in Daraa, Idlib, Hama and the Damascus countryside, opposition activists said.

The latest violence comes after a U.N. special envoy ordered President Bashar al-Assad to implement a peace plan and not await concessions from the opposition.

"The government must stop first and then discuss a cessation of hostilities with the other side and with the mediator," Ahmad Fawzi, a spokesman for special envoy Kofi Annan said Friday. "We expect him to implement this plan immediately."

The United States also urged the al-Assad regime to halt the violence first so the armed opposition can lay down its arms.



Perspective on U.S. involvement in Syria

Landmines used to stop fleeing in Syria

Beaten cartoonist plans Syria return

Syrian refugees fight from Turkey

More Syrians killed after peace promise

Iraqis sending arms, fighters into Syria "Get the guns silenced and then, as Assad takes steps to implement promises he made, then Kofi Annan and others with influence with the opposition would make sure that their guns should be silenced as well," a senior State Department official said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Saudi Arabia for discussions with King Abdullah and leaders of other Gulf states before heading to Turkey for a meeting of the Friends of Syria group Sunday.

At her first stop Friday in Riyadh, Clinton briefed the king and Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal.

"My understanding is that the conversation on Syria focused on the full range of agenda items that we have for the Friends of Syrian People," a senior State Department official told reporters. Those items include getting humanitarian aid to the Syrians; tightening sanctions and implementing those that already exist; cataloging atrocities; and offering support for the opposition, the official said.

Annan, a former U.N. secretary-general, also plans attend the Friends of the Syria meeting before briefing the U.N. Security Council in a private meeting Monday.

The Syrian National Council, a Syrian opposition coalition, is scheduled to make a presentation at the meeting in Istanbul summarizing its efforts to unite the opposition. U.S. administration officials and others have expressed concern over lack of cohesion and are urging them to lay out a plan for a post al-Assad Syria that would protect ethnic and religious groups.

The fighting cast more doubt on the peace plan brokered by Annan, the United Nations and Arab League joint envoy to Syria. Al-Assad accepted the terms of the plan Tuesday, but violence has persisted. The peace plan calls for an end to the violence by the government and opposition, timely humanitarian aid, the release of arbitrarily detained people, freedom of movement for journalists, respect for peaceful demonstrations and freedom of association.

The United Nations estimates that the Syrian conflict has killed more than 9,000 people since a government crackdown on protesters began in March 2011. Opposition activists put the toll at more than 10,000.

At least 45 people, including four children, were killed across Syria on Friday, said the Local Coordination Committees, a network of activists in Syria.

Syria routinely blames the vaguely defined "armed terrorist groups" for violence in the country, but most reports from inside the nation suggest that the government is slaughtering civilians to quash dissent.

CNN cannot independently confirm reports from inside Syria because the government severely restricts access by international journalists.

CNN's Saad Abedine, Jill Dougherty, Amir Ahmed, Joe Sterling, Tracy Douiery and Gavino Garay contributed to this report.

31 March 2012 Last updated at 09:52 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page


Syrian troops will stay in residential areas of cities until "peace and security" prevail, the government says.

A foreign ministry spokesman made the announcement after the UN's peace mission to Syria called for troops to be withdrawn as a good faith gesture.

President Bashar al-Assad has nominally accepted a peace plan proposed by UN envoy Kofi Annan.

However fighting has continued between government and opposition forces, with 40 people reportedly killed on Friday.

The UN believes at least 9,000 people have died in the year-long revolt against Mr Assad's rule.

Many victims are said to have been civilians killed by government shelling.

'Stop first'

"The presence of the Syrian Arab army in Syrian cities is for defensive purposes [so] as to protect the civilians," Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdisi told state media.

"Once peace and security prevail, the army is to pull out."

Continue reading the main story
Six-point peace plan
1. Commitment to an inclusive, Syrian-led political process working with the UN envoy

2. A cease-fire including the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from inside and around populated areas

3. Provision of humanitarian aid through a UN mechanism

4. Release of arbitrarily detained persons

5. Freedom of movement across Syria for journalists

6. Respect for freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully

Full text

On Friday, Mr Annan's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said the UN envoy expected President Assad to implement the peace plan immediately.

The plan "specifically asks the government to withdraw its troops, to cease using heavy weapons in populated centres", Mr Fawzi said.

"The very clear implication here is that the government must stop first and then discuss a cessation of hostilities with the other side and with the mediator."

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said the peace plan, which was drawn up by the UN and the Arab League, was a "last chance" for Syria to stop the bloodshed.

Damascus, he told the Associated Press news agency in Istanbul, must accept the plan without delay.

"The regime must understand that if they miss this last chance, they will be facing strong measures by the international community," he said.

Istanbul is hosting a 60-nation gathering of the "Friends of the Syrian People" this weekend aimed at finding ways to help Syria's opposition.
More on This Story

1:46am UK, Sunday April 01, 2012

Syria's regime has declared a defeat of rebel forces, as Saudi Arabia announced it is a "duty" to arm opposition groups.
"The battle to topple the state is over, and the battle to solidify stability... and move on towards a renewed Syria has begun," Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdisi said in an interview on state television.

Meanwhile, Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said that "arming the opposition is a duty".

His call for force reiterates a demand to supply weapons to rebels, just hours before dozens of countries gather in Turkey for talks on Syria's future.



The increased rhetoric comes as activists said troops continued to shell the battered city of Homs and the regime rejected envoy Kofi Annan's call for the regime to halt violence.

The United States and Gulf Arab states have urged Mr Annan - who is the joint United Nations and Arab League representative - to spell out the "next steps" if Damascus failed to implement his plan.

The Syrian spokesman said troops would only draw back from urban areas once the security situation was deemed stable.

Footage emerged less than a week ago of destruction in the final rebel stronghold of Saraqeb, apparently after it was overrun by troops, as Mr Annan warned of the country's "dangerous trajectory".


SARAQEB STREETS AFTER THE ATTACK: RESIDENT'S VIDEO UPLOADED TO YOUTUBE BY AFP
Sunday's "Friends of Syria" conference in being hosted in Istanbul, two months after the initially fruitless meeting was held in Tunisia - where US secretary of state Hillary Clinton called Russia and China "despicable".

The new meeting is due to be held as the head of the Syrian National Council opposition also urged the arming of rebels.

"The Syrian National Council expresses the demands of the Syrian people," Burhan Ghalioun said.

"We have repeatedly called for the arming of the Free Syrian Army - we want the Friends of Syria conference to live up to this demand."

Mr Ghalioun called for "a change in the balance of power" after more than a year of violence.



William Hague and Hillary Clinton attended the first Friends of Syria meeting

The UN has said more than 9,000 people have been killed in the crackdown by forces of President Bashar Assad on an Arab Spring-inspired uprising that began with pro-democracy protests.

The US and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia have discussed how to move events beyond the seemingly intractable spiral inside Shia-backed Syria.

In Riyadh, Mrs Clinton and her Gulf Arab counterparts urged Mr Annan "to determine a timeline for next steps if the killing continues" despite Syria's acceptance of his six-point plan.

The British Government has backed implementation of Mr Annan's plan.

Mr Annan appealed for an immediate ceasefire on Friday, even as monitors said at least another 39 people were killed - all but seven of them civilians - as security forces kept up operations to crush the revolt.

In Syria at least 25 people were killed in violence nationwide on Saturday, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

The SOHR said a child was killed on Saturday by rocket fire in the Bayada area of Homs, where troops fired shells at rebels in its Khaldiyeh district at the rate of one a minute.

:: Activist accounts of violence in Syria cannot be independently verified.

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- Gunfire and explosions rocked Syria on Sunday as officials gathered in neighboring Turkey to discuss ways to unify the opposition and further isolate the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Blasts killed at least nine people in the Daraa governorate, according to the Local Coordination Committees in Syria.

In the suburbs of Damascus, explosions and gunfire erupted in the morning, the opposition activists said. Snipers targeted moving objects as security forces deployed tanks at various checkpoints, according to the group.

As the violence erupted in various cities, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton worked with the 60-nation Friends of the Syrian People in Istanbul, where discussions are expected to include ways to pressure the regime into ending its bloody crackdown against protesters.

"People are dying in Syria and there are residential neighborhoods under siege," said Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who attended the meeting.

A senior State Department official said the United States is expected to announce $9 million more for humanitarian aid to the nation, bringing its total so far to $25 million.



Syria violence despite cease-fire call

Perspective on U.S. involvement in Syria

Landmines used to stop fleeing in Syria

Syrian refugees fight from Turkey Other options to be addressed at the meeting in Turkey include coordinating efforts on sanctions against the regime and providing more support to the fractured opposition, the senior official said in a statement.

"The sanctions working group will be made up of key members of the Friends of the Syrian People in order to better coordinate our sanctions, to share information, to focus the pressure track," the senior official said.

It will allow nations to share information about an individual or an entity they believe needs to be sanctioned, according to the statement.

"We'll be able to share this information with a wider audience in the sanctions working group to try to have a multiplicity of efforts -- the same with the Europeans, with some of the key Arab countries, and others," it said.

Additionally, a new accountability effort will assist and train Syrians to collect, analyze and securely store evidence, documents and other information concerning human rights abuses and violations, the senior official said.

This will allow Syrians to use the information to bring about accountability for the violence when al-Assad is gone, the official said.

Syrians started protests against the regime a year ago, and were met with a fierce government crackdown.

The United Nations estimates at least 1 million have been affected and more than 9,000 have died since the unrest began. Opposition activists put the death toll at more than 10,000 people.

CNN cannot independently confirm reports from inside Syria because the government severely restricts access by international journalists.

Protesters have remained defiant in the uprising while soldiers have defected and taken up arms against former comrades, hoping to drive out the embattled leader through force.

However, there has been no main opposition leader or group over the protesters, and there is little indication of a coherent plan for Syria should al-Assad and his regime fall.

The United States has urged the opposition to unite and highlighted the difficulty in achieving that goal. Another senior U.S. official said any more sweeping efforts won't happen if the opposition is disjointed.

"They are all over the map, depending on whom you talk on any given day," the U.S. official said. "It's hard to think of what we can do going forward, when there is no credible alternative."

Opposition officials are working to change that, and have taken two important steps, according to the State Department.

"One, they've adopted a -- what they're calling, a national pact. And the idea here is to unite the Syrian opposition around a concept and a vision going forward," a State Department official said Saturday.

The Syrian National Council, an opposition coalition that includes many exiles, is set to make a presentation at the Istanbul meeting to summarize its efforts to unite the opposition.

Clinton, who will meet with five members of the opposition coalition, said the Friends of the Syrian People group will focus on providing humanitarian assistance, organizing a possible political transition and supporting the opposition with nonlethal means.

There was no mention of authorizing airstrikes targeting Syrian forces as some, such as U.S. Sen. John McCain, have requested.

Syrian state media aired the meeting live under a banner calling it, "the conference of the enemies of the Syrian people in Istanbul."

It comes after U.N. envoy Kofi Annan urged the government to lay down its weapons as part of a peace plan to help end the yearlong crisis.

Last week, Al-Assad pledged to implement the peace plan brokered by Annan and vowed to "spare no effort" to ensure its success. However, he demanded that those battling his regime pledge to stop their violence too.

Annan's terms of the peace plan included an end to all violence by the government and opposition, the delivery of timely humanitarian aid, the release of arbitrarily detained people, freedom of movement for journalists, respect for peaceful demonstrations and freedom of association.

CNN's Saad Abedine and Amir Ahmed and contributed to this report.

Opposition says Syrian rebel fighters to get salariesUS Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton: "The world will not waver, Assad must go"


Rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria will be paid salaries, the opposition Syrian National Council has announced.

Money will also be given to soldiers who defect from the government's army, the SNC added, after a "Friends of the Syrian people" summit in Turkey.

Conference delegates said wealthy Gulf Arab states would supply millions of dollars a month for the SNC fund.

The meeting recognised the SNC as the "legitimate representative" of Syrians.

Damascus dubbed the gathering of some 70 Western and Arab foreign ministers in Istanbul as the "enemies of Syria", and key players remained absent, including Russia, China and Iran.

Continue reading the main story
Analysis

Jonathan Head

BBC News, Istanbul

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There were plenty of emotional denunciations of the Syrian government, notably from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hillary Clinton. But was there anything more than just words?

The opposition wanted the meeting to offer better protection for civilians and better weapons for the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA). It got neither. Instead there were promises of more funding and non-lethal equipment, both for the SNC and the FSA. This was incremental diplomatic progress.

The support for the FSA gave the armed wing of the opposition the international recognition its fighters have long sought for.

These measures will not change the balance of power inside Syria. But they do serve notice to Syria's remaining allies that there is a heavyweight diplomatic bloc willing to stand by the opposition, and help shape it into a credible alternative to the Assad regime.

The intended message was: The anti-Assad bloc will not fade away. Playing for time, endlessly delaying the fulfilment of promises to abide by various peace plans, will not work in President Assad's favour.

At a news conference, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Syria that Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan - which Damascus has agreed to in principle - was "not open-ended".

His comments were echoed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who said there was "no more time for excuses and delays" by the Assad government. "This is a moment of truth," she said.

Compromise

"The SNC will take charge of the payment of fixed salaries of all officers, soldiers, and others who are members of the Free Syrian Army," SNC President Burhan Ghalioun told the conference.

An SNC leader told the BBC that she hoped more substantial funding would help bind the disparate units of the Free Syrian Army into a more coherent fighting force, and encourage other soldiers to defect from the government side.

Some countries at the conference - notably Saudi Arabia - have been openly calling for insurgents in Syria to be given weapons. But others - including the US and Turkey - oppose the move, fearing it could fuel an all-out civil war.

The decision to increase non-lethal aid to the rebels by paying salaries to the fighters is a compromise, the BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul says.

Not all opposition groups will be happy at the summit's decision to channel the funds through the SNC - as well as recognising it as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people, he adds.

There are many activists who believe the SNC's leadership has been too ineffective, and should be replaced, he points out.

The united front displayed by the gathering was undermined by the pointed absence of Russia and China, which have repeatedly balked at any international resolutions that would require President Assad to stand down.

Iraq attended, having earlier suggested it might not. However, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made it clear beforehand that he opposed arming the opposition and believed the Syrian government would survive.

The Syrian government says it is close to ending the uprising.

Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad al-Makdissi told Syrian TV "the battle to topple the state is over".

Violence continued on Sunday, with more than 10 people reported killed, a day after more than 60 people died across the country.

In the latest violence, activists reported attacks by security forces in areas near the Iraqi border to the east, and the Jordanian frontier to the south.

The UN believes at least 9,000 people have died in the year-long revolt against Mr Assad's rule

2 April 2012 Last updated at 19:09 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page

Syria has agreed to a 10 April deadline to begin implementing a six-point peace plan, UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has said, according to diplomats.

The plan calls for a UN-supervised ceasefire by all parties, withdrawal of soldiers and heavy weapons from cities, and delivery of humanitarian aid.

Mr Annan was briefing the UN Security Council in closed session.

Violence in Syria continued on Monday, with activists reporting fighting in Idlib and Homs.

Red Cross visit

Mr Annan has asked the Security Council for its backing of next Tuesday's deadline for Syria to partially implement his peace plan, with a full ceasefire within 48 hours.

Syria said last week it accepted the peace plan. However, Mr Annan cautioned the Security Council that so far there was no sign of President Bashar al-Assad's government keeping its promises on implementation, diplomats said.

Continue reading the main story
Annan's six-point peace plan
1. Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people

2. UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians

3. All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause

4. Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons

5. Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists

6. Authorities to respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully

Speaking after the briefing from Mr Annan, US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said: "We have seen... promises made and promises broken."

Past experience "would lead us to be sceptical" that Syria would implement the Annan plan, Ms Rice said, warning that it was possible violence might escalate instead.

Syria's ambassador to the UN, Bashar Ja'fari, confirmed Damascus accepted the 10 April deadline but told reporters Mr Annan must get similar commitments from the opposition.

Ms Rice said Mr Annan's deputy, Nasser al-Kidwa, had had "constructive exchanges" with the opposition to urge them to cease their operations within 48 hours of a complete cessation of government hostilities.

The BBC's Barbara Plett, in New York, says Mr Annan told the closed session that Syria had said it was not ready to pull troops and heavy weapons out of the cities unless the armed opposition laid down their weapons too.

The deadline will make clear whether, as some of his critics have said, Mr Assad is simply stalling for time, our correspondent adds.

Funding for rebels

On Sunday, a group of 83 countries backing political change in Syria warned President Assad he had little time to comply with Mr Annan's plan.

"The window of opportunity for the regime to implement its commitments to Joint Special Envoy Annan is not open-ended," the "Friends of Syria" said in a statement.

"The Friends' Group called upon the Joint Special Envoy to determine a timeline for next steps, including a return to the UN Security Council, if the killing continues," it added.

Gulf Arab countries attending the group's meeting in Istanbul agreed to pay the salaries and other costs of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA).

The money, which will be distributed through the opposition Syrian National Council, is the first formal international support for the FSA.

Meanwhile, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jakob Kellenberger, is on his way to Damascus for talks about expanding aid operations and gaining access to all detainees.

During his two-day visit, Mr Kellenberger plans to visit areas affected during the fighting, the ICRC said in a statement.

Last month, after the fall of the rebel district of Baba Amr, in Homs, the Syrian government said it would allow an ICRC convoy into the area.

However, when the convoy reached Baba Amr on 2 March, it was denied permission to enter.

The Local Co-ordination Committees, a network of anti-government activists in Syria, said 65 people were killed on Monday. They included 40 dead in Homs, 14 in Idlib, six in Hama and five in Aleppo.

The figures cannot be verified independently, as journalists' movements are severely restricted in Syria.

United Nations (CNN) -- The Syrian government has agreed to begin immediately to pull its forces out of population centers and will complete its withdrawal by April 10, diplomatic officials told reporters Monday.

The Syrian foreign minister made that promise to U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan, according to Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the world body. And Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, said Syria is committed to the success of Annan's peace plan, which calls for the withdrawal of Syrian forces as well as those of the opposition.

By then, all forward deployment of government forces and use of heavy weapons should be halted as well, Rice said after Annan briefed the Security Council in a private session.

She said officials were awaiting details from the Syrian government on other aspects of Annan's six-point peace plan, including requests for humanitarian access, a daily two-hour pause in hostilities and access for the news media.



Activists face danger in Syria

Syria violence despite cease-fire call

Clinton: Making progress on Syria

Clinton: Will support Syria opposition

Seeking a Syria solution "The Syrian government is committed, but we are expecting Mr. Kofi Annan and some parties in the Security Council also to get the same kind of commitments from the other parties," Jaafari said. He said those "other parties" were groups "involved in initiating, sponsoring and arming the armed groups."

All Security Council members called for the Annan plan to be implemented immediately, Rice said.

She noted that some members expressed concern that the government of Syria might use the coming days to ramp up the violence amid doubts about whether Damascus would be true to its word. But there was a general willingness to consider Annan's plan for a monitoring mission "if indeed cessation of violence is achieved," she said.

Annan did not specify any conditions for the deal, which was to have begun Sunday, Rice said. But the U.S. ambassador expressed skepticism over the Syrians' promise.

"Let's be realistic," she said. "We've seen commitments to end the violence followed by massive intensification of the violence. The United States would say yet again, the proof is in the actions, not in the words."

A diplomatic team that will include some of Annan's staff members will return this week to Syria "to continue preparations for monitoring a supervisory mission" of the United Nations, Rice said.

The announcement comes the same day that Russia -- historically a Syrian ally, which with China has blocked more stringent efforts to address the violence in the U.N. Security Council -- pressured Damascus to withdraw its troops.

"But if the withdrawal of troops is not accompanied by similar actions of those who fight against the Syrian government, I believe that no results will be yielded soon," said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to the state-run Itar-Tass News Agency.

The United Nations has estimated at least 9,000 people have been killed in Syria since the unrest began more than a year ago -- violence that the Syrian government has blamed on "armed terrorist groups," but that the opposition and many other nations have said is a result of a crackdown on dissenters in the Middle East nation. Protesters want an end to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

After yet another bloody weekend, at least 65 more people died Monday in fresh violence, according to opposition activists.

Seven soldiers from the rebel Free Syrian Army, four children and a woman were among those killed, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. More than half of the deaths were in Homs, which has been a hotbed for dissent and bloodshed in recent months.

About 40 Free Syrian Army soldiers captured the National Hospital in that city, only to find 78 corpses stacked in a hospital refrigerator, the LCC reported Monday.

"We do not know who the bodies belong to, but it appears most of them are opposition from Baba Amr," said an activist in Homs, who was debriefed by the rebel army. Baba Amr is a Homs neighborhood that bore the brunt of weeks of shelling by government forces.

The LCC also said regime troops launched a campaign arresting people in Daraa province -- the cradle of the Syrian uprising -- and burned the homes of opposition activists.

About 8,000 refugees arrived Sunday night in Tirmaala, in the Homs district, and more came Monday to seek shelter, according to the opposition group. The group said that some single-family homes there were packed with more than 100 people.

Helping those in need is the focus of Jakob Kellenberger, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as he starts two days of talks in Syria on Monday. He'll meet Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mu'alem, Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Mohamad al-Shaar and Health Minister Dr. Wael al-Halki.

"I am determined to see the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent expand their presence, range and scope of activities to address the needs of vulnerable people," Kellenberger said in a news release about his third such visit since June.

Meanwhile at the Vatican, the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" announced that Pope Benedict XVI has donated $100,000 to support Syrians. The money will be used for the charitable activities of churches in Syria to "support ... the suffering population," the council said.

On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced it will provide an initial $1.25 million to establish a Syria Accountability Clearinghouse to help train Syrians and partner organizations to collect evidence related to human rights abuses and violations for possible use in any prosecutions that may result from the carnage.

This comes a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged an additional $12 million in humanitarian aid -- nearly doubling the amount of American money pledged for humanitarian aid like field hospitals and medical training.

On Monday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the United States has been providing "communications and medical support," and that officials are "looking at how we can expand that."

"Other countries made clear that they will be providing a different kind of support. They will be providing support directly to the Free Syrian Army," she said, in reference to the recently created armed force that is made up largely of defectors from Syria's military and is now the chief fighting force challenging al-Assad's regime.

Syria's ambassador to the United Nations blasted this and other promises of aid.

"All the parties who are sponsoring publicly the armed groups in Syria should bear the responsibility of their acts," Jaafari said. "This is a violation and a declaration of war against the sovereignty of Syria."

But Syrian National Council member Adib Shishakly said the international community needs to donate more, in order to meet the needs of the million-plus people affected by the violence in Syria.

"A million dollars daily, minimum, is needed," Shishakly said.

"If we don't bring protection for the people inside Syria, it's like we didn't do anything," he added, calling for international backing of the rebel Free Syrian Army, safe zones to protect people and relief and medical support.

CNN's Ivan Watson, Jill Dougherty and Kamal Ghattas contributed to this report.

4 April 2012 Last updated at 10:57

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Syria's opposition will never defeat the country's armed forces even if it is "armed to the teeth".

Mr Lavrov warned that there would be "slaughter for many years" if Western and Arab states intervened militarily and supplied weapons to rebel groups.

Gulf states agreed on Sunday to pay the salaries of Free Syrian Army fighters.

Meanwhile, the US has warned the Syrian government not to intensify violence ahead of a ceasefire due on 10 April.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
Tanks are still shelling or storming towns and villages before going back to their bases... That does not mean they are withdrawing”
End Quote
Rami Abdul Rahman

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

The US permanent representative to the UN, Susan Rice, said its actions since 1 April did not encourage hope that it would comply with the six-point peace plan proposed by UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

Ms Rice said the US was "concerned and quite sceptical that the government of Syria will suddenly adhere to its commitments" and the UN would "need to respond to that failure in a very urgent and serious way".

The Syrian government has said it has agreed to the deadline, but activists accuse it of stalling for time so it can crush the uprising before UN monitors arrive and say attacks are continuing.

On Tuesday, at least 58 civilians were killed, including 20 in military assaults and clashes between troops and rebels in Taftanaz, in the northern province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Eighteen soldiers died in Homs, Idlib and Deraa provinces, it added.

Explosions and gunfire were reported in several parts of the country on Wednesday, including the city of Homs and near the Turkish border.

"Tanks are still shelling or storming towns and villages before going back to their bases," Rami Abdul Rahman of the Syrian Observatory told the AFP news agency. "That does not mean they are withdrawing."

'Mutual destruction'

During a visit to Azerbaijan on Wednesday, Russia's foreign minister said the "Friends of Syria" group of Western and Arab nations backing political change were hindering attempts to end the bloodshed.

"Everyone has supported Kofi Annan's plan, but decisions at the Friends of Syria group meeting aimed at arming the opposition and at new sanctions undermine peace efforts," Mr Lavrov told Russian media.

Mr Lavrov said the "Friends of Syria" group was undermining efforts to end the bloodshed
Mr Lavrov's comments come three days after Gulf Arab states agreed to pay the "salaries" of Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters. The money will be distributed through the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC).

The money is the first formal international support for the FSA. Critics said the funds could be used to buy weapons on the black market.

"If the opposition is armed to the teeth, it will not defeat the Syrian army," Mr Lavrov warned on Wednesday. "Instead, there will be slaughter for many, many years - mutual destruction."

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have argued in favour of arming Syrian opposition supporters so they can defend themselves, but other countries supporting political change have opposed the idea, including the US.

The chairman of the SNC, Burhan Ghalioun, warned on Sunday that President Assad would use the divisions in the international community and Mr Annan's peace initiative to prolong the crackdown on dissent.

'Co-operation mechanism'

An advance team from the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) is due in Syria imminently to discuss the deployment of the observers to monitor the implementation of Mr Annan's peace plan.

In addition to a ceasefire by all parties, it calls for a political process to address the "aspirations" of the Syrian people, the release of detainees, delivery of aid, free movement for journalists, and the right to protest.

Saleh Dabbakeh of the ICRC said there was initial agreement to the idea of a two-hour daily ceasefire
Mr Annan will hold talks in Geneva on Wednesday with Norway's Maj-Gen Robert Mood, who will lead the advance team.

Gen Mood is a former head of the UN Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO), the UN peacekeeping operation in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jakob Kellenberger, is continuing a visit to Syria.

On Tuesday, Mr Kellenberger tried to persuade senior Syrian officials to allow aid workers better access to those who have been wounded or displaced by the conflict, and to implement a two-hour daily halt to the fighting to allow in humanitarian aid.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem agreed to a "co-operation mechanism" for humanitarian assistance when meeting Mr Kellenberger.

5 April 2012 Last updated at 10:03 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page



Syrian troops have launched fresh assaults on rebels, activists say, as the government prepares to host an envoy of UN mediator Kofi Annan.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says several towns have been shelled including Homs, Deraa and Damascus.

The envoy, Maj-Gen Robert Mood, is scheduled to discuss the deployment of ceasefire monitors across Syria.

Mr Annan, the UN and Arab League special envoy, is due to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

More refugees

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported fresh clashes in the southern village of Kfar Shams and the Damascus suburb of Douma, where it said columns of smoke could be seen rising from several buildings.

It also said security forces were trying to storm two villages in northern Aleppo province, close to the Turkish border.

Continue reading the main story
Annan's six-point peace plan
1. Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people

2. UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians

3. All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause

4. Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons

5. Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists

6. Authorities to respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully

Activists say dozens of people have been killed in recent clashes.

The human rights group Amnesty International said it had counted 232 deaths since Syria accepted Mr Annan's six-point peace plan last week.

The government has promised to stop attacks and withdraw military forces from major city centres by Tuesday next week, but our correspondent in Beirut, Jim Muir, says there is no sign that the violence is abating.

The advance UN team going to Damascus will be led by Gen Mood, a Norwegian who has extensive peacekeeping experience.

He hopes to agree with the Syrian government how a mission of 250 unarmed observers will be structured and how it will operate.

Meanwhile, a Turkish official said up to 900 more people had fled across the border from Syria.

"There has been an increased flow through Reyhanli and the number was 800 to 900 [on Wednesday]," the official told Reuters.

There are now almost 21,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Mr Annan will update the UN General Assembly on the situation and brief members on the progress of his mission when he addresses them by video-link later in the day.

6th April

CNN) -- Kofi Annan, the U.N.-Arab League point man on Syria, urged the Bashar al-Assad regime Thursday to cease violence and carry out his six-point plan for peace.

"All points of the plan are crucial, but one is most urgent: the need for cessation of violence," he said. "Clearly, the violence is still continuing. Alarming levels of casualties and other abuses continue to be reported daily. Military operations in civilian populations have not stopped."

"We must silence the tanks, helicopters, mortars and guns, and stop all other forms of violence, too: sexual abuse, torture, executions, abductions, destruction of homes, forced displacement and other such abuses, including on children," Annan told the U.N. General Assembly by video link from Geneva.

Syria has been engulfed in violence since March 2011, when the government began a crackdown on peaceful protesters, and world powers are trying to stop the bloody government crackdown.



Kofi Annan: Syria needs U.N. presence

Syria: Forces face conflict deadline

Syria cease-fire proves elusive

Assad's uncle: Bashar is 'fleeting' The United Nations has estimated at least 9,000 people have been killed in anti-government protests. The opposition Local Coordination Committees, a network of activists on the ground, has documented more than 11,000 deaths, and at least 77 more were killed across the country Thursday, the group said.

Annan's plan calls for authorities to stop troop movement toward populated centers and end the use of heavy weapons. It urges a cease-fire by the government and the opposition, and a Syrian-led political process to end the crisis.

It calls for the government to ensure "timely provision of humanitarian assistance" and to intensify "the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons." It also calls for freedom of movement for journalists and the right to demonstrate.

Syria has noted it would implement the plan and said Thursday it had taken steps to comply. Its ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, acknowledged that the fighting was still going on -- but he blamed that on opposition groups he said were being armed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, which currently holds the General Assembly presidency.

"The withdrawal of the heavy weaponry will take place by April 10," he said. But he said Damascus needed a clear guarantee from Annan that once government troops pull back, "other parties will do the same and will not fill the vacuum."

"Of course we are in favor of peace, but we want all of these external interferences in our domestic affairs to stop," he said.

Diplomatic sources told CNN in February that a number of Arab nations were supplying arms to the Syrian opposition, but they wouldn't identify which countries. A Sunni Arab tribal leader from Iraq told CNN last week that he and some of his fellow leaders have been smuggling weapons across the border into Syria as well.

Jaafari also accused the General Assembly president, Qatari Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser, of "media terrorism" for cutting off a television feed of the General Assembly as he tried to speak following Annan's briefing, and for ignoring a request to observe a moment of silence "for the souls of the victims -- all the victims -- that have fallen this year."

"The purpose of the meeting for him was how to defame the reputation of Syria, not to help stop the violence in Syria and to put an end to the unrest in some hot spots in the country," Jaafari said.

Opponents of the regime and outside experts, however, have said that the government has so far taken few tangible steps to implement the Annan plan, raising questions about its viability.

Annan said the government told him about "partial withdrawals" from three locations -- the Idlib, Zabadani and Daraa regions. This comes after the Syrians said Sunday they planned to withdraw military units from populated regions, an effort to be in effect until Tuesday, Annan said.

"It is clear that more far-reaching action is urgently required," he said.

Annan said that after the government carries out this withdrawal, he hopes to forge a "full cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties" two days later by 6 a.m. next Thursday Damascus time.

"I urge the government and opposition commanders to issue clear instructions so that the message reaches across the country, down to the fighter and soldier at the local level," Annan said.

Other Syrian moves signaled changes on Thursday.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it forged an agreement with the government for "an expanded presence."

"This agreement is a sign of trust in the ICRC's independent and neutral humanitarian action," ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said. "It should enable the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to meet increased humanitarian needs."

The entities agreed on a procedure to trigger a stop in fighting so relief can reach fighting-plagued regions. The ICRC supported the idea, in Annan's plan, that calls for a "daily, two-hour humanitarian pause."

In fact, activists said the army permitted the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to enter the town of Taftanaz for two hours Thursday and collect bodies. The town, in Idlib province, had been heavily shelled for days.

Also, the government and the ICRC worked out a plan for visits to detention centers.

They discussed the right of sick or injured people to get medical care and for combatants "to respect medical personnel, facilities and transports."

Annan said the government told him that 21 visas have been issued to European, Russian, American and Korean journalists since late March. He also said that "plans for release of detainees are being made and will be implemented within a few weeks of the agreement."

A U.N. advance team is in Damascus to plan a cease-fire monitoring team. It includes officers from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations led by Maj. Gen. Robert Mood of Norway. It has started "technical preparations for the potential deployment of observers to monitor a cessation of armed violence and the full implementation of the six-point plan."

Annan said a "nimble United Nations presence" is needed for what he described as a "fluid" environment with "no established front line."

"It would need to be deployed quickly with a broad and flexible mandate. Its freedom of movement through the country and security must be assured. It should engage all relevant parties. It should constantly and rapidly observe, establish and assess facts and conditions on the ground in an objective manner," he said.

Annan urged states "with influence on the parties" to use that clout to help stop violence.

"The unity of the international community behind one mediation effort offers the best chance to end the violence and help Syria steer its own course to a peaceful and democratic future," he said.

"I am acutely aware of the grave situation on the ground. I am impatient for action on commitments made. I hope both government and opposition understand what is at stake and seize this moment. Let us stop the killing and start serious political dialogue, for the well-being of the Syrian people," Annan said.

Along with Annan's remarks Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an end to violence, and the U.N. Security Council issued a statement calling for the regime to fulfill its commitments and back the six-point plan.

As Annan works to quell the violence, the clashes, shelling and raids have sent scores fleeing into neighboring nations.

The deaths Thursday occurred in Homs, Idlib, Hama, the Damascus suburb town of Douma and the the Aleppo suburbs. In the Homs province town of Rastan, artillery shelling killed a 70-year-old man and three children, ages, 6, 8, and 16.

Abdulrahman Refaii, of Herak in Daraa province, told CNN he saw tanks around the city and smoke rising from the nearby town of Tayiba, more than a mile away.

Several miles away from the city of Idlib, where the Syrian government claimed to have begun the withdrawal of its forces, witnesses said a military helicopter fired rockets Thursday against the town of Taftanaz. A video e-mailed to CNN by opposition activists in the neighboring town of Binnish showed a helicopter that appeared to be firing missiles.

Binnish, Taftanaz and other towns in Idlib province have been the targets of a recent Syrian military offensive that has triggered a fresh wave of refugees fleeing to neighboring Turkey.

At least 2,350 Syrians have arrived in Turkey in the past day, a Turkish government official said, bringing the total number of Syrian citizens in Turkey to more than 22,000.

Imad Dibo, a refugee from the village of Maraa, said he was among three families that escaped together to Turkey from Syria's Idlib province because of attacks by security forces. He said some people traveled by car and others, like his group, crossed into Turkey on foot.

"We coordinated with smugglers, and the Turkish army received us," Dibo said. "The regime is responsible for all of this. They send tanks, armed gangs to kill people."

The opposition LCC said the regime has initiated a new tactic: "systematically burning and bulldozing homes of revolutionaries and their families in order to displace them from their respective areas."

"On Wednesday, during their destruction and killing campaign, the regime's army deliberately set at least 20 houses on fire" in one Idlib province town, the LCC said Thursday. "This morning, in the city of Douma, regime forces barbarically destroyed and set many houses on fire. Yesterday in Zabadani, and depriving the townspeople of their livelihood, regime forces set many farms and orchards on fire."

CNN cannot verify accounts of violence in Syria as the government has severely restricted access to the country by foreign journalists.

CNN's Ivan Watson, Amir Ahmed, Yesim Comert and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- The Turkish government reported a record number of refugees fleeing Syrian military offensives across the border, just days before the Syrian government pledged to withdraw military forces from population centers.

In 24 hours, at least 2,741 Syrians fled down smugglers' paths to the barbed wire border fence, where they were met by Turkish border guards, the Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate said. More than 23,000 Syrian refugees now reside in Turkey.

The surge prompted Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to make a 2 a.m. phone call to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, inviting U.N. officials to witness the growing refugee crisis firsthand.

Davutoglu also told the U.N. chief he was receiving reports of Syrian military operations backed by helicopters from across the border.



Activists: Assaults in Syria ongoing

Syrian refugees flood into Turkey "They are burning all the houses," one Syrian woman told journalists at the border late Thursday, as she sat with other refugees in a van awaiting transport to a nearby refugee camp in Turkey.

"It was a massacre in a Taftanaz," said another woman, who asked not to be named for security reasons. "They butchered the people; they shelled and fired rockets; they displaced us. Bashar [al Assad] is an oppressor and a dog. May God have no mercy on him."

On Thursday night, opposition activists sent CNN video and photos of the devastated northern town of Taftanaz.

The small rebel stronghold had been the target of days and nights of artillery bombardment as well as strafing from Syrian military helicopters.

On Thursday afternoon, Syrian security forces observed a cease-fire, opposition activists said, allowing Syrian Red Crescent workers to collect bodies.

Video shot on Thursday showed dozens of corpses, all of them male and some of them dressed in camouflage uniforms, laid out on the floor of the Al Kabir mosque in Taftanaz.

Later, many of the dead were placed in a long, deep trench for burial. Grieving residents gathered around the mass grave.

The total number of refugees fleeing grisly scenes like this has dramatically increased.

Until now, the Turkish government has refused offers of assistance from international aid organizations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and has restricted access to the refugee camps.

But on Friday, Foreign Minister Davutoglu suggested that a policy change was in the works.

"It is important for the international community to take a very clear stance with regard to the refugee flow now," he said. Davutoglu said he asked the U.N. secretary-general to take a "much more active role" in the refugee crisis.

Several regional policy experts have predicted that a dramatic increase in refugees streaming across the Syrian border may prompt Turkey to move forward on plans to establish a "buffer zone" on Syrian territory.

"So far, the Turkish government kept the [refugee] issue to itself and did not let the United Nations take over," said Ufuk Ulutas, a Middle East expert with the Ankara-based SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research.

"If Turkey receives 2,000 [refugees] every day, I don't think it will be a manageable number for Turkey," Ulutas told CNN, adding, "If the influx is in big numbers, I don't think they will have any other options but to create a buffer zone."

Turkey last hosted huge numbers of refugees after the 1991 Gulf War in neighboring Iraq. The flood of ethnic Kurds fleeing a crackdown by Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein had long-lasting consequences on security in southeastern Turkey, where the Turkish state has long battled a homegrown Kurdish insurgency.

Turkish officials have long denied speculation within the Turkish media about the possibility of a military intervention aimed at establishing a buffer zone in Syria.

A senior Turkish official repeated those denials in a recent interview with CNN.

"We have said all along no safe haven, no buffer zones," the Turkish official said, on condition of anonymity. "We're trying everything we can short of a military intervention ... to convince the Assad regime to stop violence and make a political transition possible."

Journalist Omar al Muqdad contributed to this report.

CNN) -- The Syrian government continued attacks in various parts of the country Friday despite having agreed to withdraw its troops from towns and cities by Tuesday, opposition groups reported.

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad shelled homes in the Damascus suburbs Friday, seemingly at random, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.

At least 23 people were killed around the country, government opponents said.

The military action appears to bolster the view of those who doubt al-Assad's commitment to a peace plan championed by Kofi Annan, the former U.N. secretary general who is the point person on Syria for the U.N. and Arab League.



Syria witnesses describe 'massacre'

Al-Assad's uncle speaks Syria uprising

Kofi Annan: Syria needs U.N. presence

Syria: Forces face conflict deadline A deal he brokered -- and that al-Assad said he agreed to -- calls for a cease-fire by the government and the opposition, and a Syrian-led political process to end the crisis. It also calls for Syrian troops to leave many population centers, but troops remained in many of those places Friday.

In the Damascus suburb of Daraya, random shelling damaged a home, the LCC said. In the suburb of Douma, there were reports of "continued firing of missiles from tanks" toward homes, the group said.

Instead of withdrawing, the military was also active in the suburb of Harasta, where heavy clashes between the army and the opposition Free Syrian Army were reported.

At least one person was killed in the suburbs, the group said.

CNN can not independently verify opposition and government claims, as al-Assad's regime has severely restricted the access of international journalists.

Syria has been engulfed in violence since March 2011, when government forces began a brutal crackdown on a protest movement calling for reforms that quickly devolved into an uprising demanding the ouster of the regime.

World powers have been working to stop the fighting, which the United Nations estimates has killed at least 9,000 people. The LCC puts the toll at more than 11,000 people killed.

Across Syria, at least 23 people were killed Friday, the LCC said.

Of those, the LCC said at least 13 died in the opposition stronghold city of Homs,. which has been the scene of some of the most intense clashes in recent months.

In nearby Rastan, government forces were reportedly firing rockets at opposition strongholds within the city, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Shelling was also reported in Andan in the Aleppo province, with Syrian forces raiding the homes of suspected opposition members, the LCC said.

Factional fighting among civilians was also reported Friday, further challenging the viability of a cease-fire agreement.

Fierce fighting erupted between armed men loyal to al-Assad and rebels from opposing villages.

The reports of fighting between villagers with opposing loyalties highlight the divisions inside Syria, a nation with a majority Sunni population that is governed by al-Assad -- a minority Alawite, which is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Some analysts have expressed concern about what the Sunni-dominated Muslim Brotherhood might do if al-Assad's Alawite-dominated regime falls.

At least two women were killed and four were injured in fighting that broke out between military defectors and armed men loyal to al-Assad in the beleaguered western province of Homs, the Syrian Observatory said.

The clashes in the town of Hula reportedly occurred between military defectors from one nearby village and armed men loyal to the regime from two other villages, the opposition group said.

The Syrian government has said it will implement the peace plan, saying it has taken steps to comply. Its ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, acknowledged that the fighting was still going on -- but he blamed that on opposition groups he said were being armed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, which currently holds the presidency of the U.N. General Assembly.

The government has committed to the April 10 deadline but is demanding a guarantee from Annan that once its troops pull back, other groups will do the same.

CNN's Ivan Watson, Salma Abdelaziz, Kamal Ghattas and Yesim Comert contributed to this report.

Turkey has warned the UN it may need help if the flow of refugees from Syria continues at its current rate.

After speaking to the UN secretary general, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the refugee issue was becoming an "international problem".

Some 2,800 Syrians have crossed in 36 hours, with the total now near 24,000.

Troops and rebels were engaged in heavy fighting across Syria on Friday, just six days before the UN hopes a full ceasefire will come into effect.

The UN estimates more than 9,000 people have died in the year-long uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Rate 'doubles'

Mr Davutoglu said he had spoken to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon early on Friday to express concern about the rate of refugees.

Continue reading the main story
Annan's six-point peace plan
1. Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people

2. UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians

3. All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause

4. Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons

5. Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists

6. Authorities to respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully

In later televised remarks, Mr Davutoglu said: "We have spared no efforts to accommodate Syrians fleeing the violence back home, but if they continue to arrive at this rate, we will need the UN and international community to step in."

The UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has set out a six-point peace plan that Syria has accepted, part of which envisages a UN-supervised cessation of armed violence by all parties from 10 April, with a full ceasefire on 12 April.

However, the US and many regional countries have expressed scepticism that Syria is committed to the plan.

Mr Davutoglu said the rate of refugees had doubled since Mr Assad agreed to implementing Mr Annan's plan.

"Those who are giving [Mr Assad] time should also know that the number of fleeing Syrians is increasing and this is turning into an international problem," Mr Davutoglu said.

There appears to be no halt in the violence in Syria.

On Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Local Coordination Committees groups monitored reports from many parts of the country, including:

Shelling, including tank fire, in Douma, near Damascus. Shelling in Zabadani, north-west of the capital
Rebel fighters confront tanks trying to enter Rastan, north of Homs
Protests after Friday prayers in the eastern province of Hasakeh, in the town of Qamishli in the northern Kurdish region and in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor. Snipers on roofs in Damascus and Hama
Heavy fighting in central Homs province - in the villages of al-Tiba, al-Qabu and Shniyeh
Fighting between soldiers and army deserters in Dmeir, 40km (25 miles) north of Damascus
International media cannot report freely in Syria and it is impossible to verify reports of violence.

The Syrian government says 2,000 security personnel have been killed in the uprising and blames the violence on "armed gangs" and "terrorists".

Continue reading the main story
Ceasefire timetable
10 April: Government must withdraw troops and heavy weapons such as tanks from towns, cities and villages
Following 48 hours: Ceasefire to be implemented on the ground with the onus on the opposition to follow the government's lead
06:00 local time on 12 April: All forms of violence must be stopped on all sides
Next step: All parties to hold talks on a political solution

The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says that in Homs - much of which is a real battlefield - and some other areas, especially Idlib province, the approach of the deadline to halt all violence seems to have brought an escalation rather than a reduction.

He says activists are accusing the government of trying to complete its crackdown come what may; but government officials say it is the rebel fighters who are exploiting the impending withdrawal of the military from towns and cities.

Syria's official Sana news agency said on Friday that Damascus had sent a message to the UN saying that "terrorist acts committed by the armed terrorist groups in Syria have increased during the last few days" and demanding a written commitment that the opposition would not try to make territorial gains.

A UN team is currently in Damascus to negotiate the possibility of deploying UN monitors to oversee any ceasefire.

Mr Annan has said that if the truce is successful a small mobile UN monitoring mission of some 200-250 observers could be brought into Syria.

Mr Annan is also expected to travel to Iran on 11 April, the day after the partial ceasefire is due, to try to win further regional support for his peace plan.

7 April 2012 Last updated at 02:39 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page


The head of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, has condemned the Syrian government for fresh military assaults despite agreeing to a deal to end the violence.

Mr Ban said the 10 April ceasefire deadline was "not an excuse for continued killing" by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Activists say at least 100 people have been killed over the past two days as troops intensified operations.

Earlier, Turkey said it may need UN help after a surge in refugee arrivals.

After speaking to Mr Ban, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the rate of refugees had doubled since Mr Assad agreed to implementing the UN-Arab League plan.

The six-point peace plan, mediated by envoy and former UN chief Kofi Annan, envisages cessation of armed violence by all parties from 10 April, with a full ceasefire on 12 April.

Continue reading the main story
Annan's six-point peace plan
1. Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people

2. UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians

3. All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause

4. Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons

5. Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists

6. Authorities to respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully

However, the Syrian opposition, the US and many regional countries have expressed scepticism that Syria is committed to the plan.

In Friday's statement, Mr Ban said the recent attacks on civilians "violate" the UN's demands and demanded the government halt military operations.

Mr Ban "deplores the assault by the Syrian authorities against innocent civilians, including women and children, despite the commitments by the Government of Syria to cease all use of heavy weapons in population centers," it said.

"The 10 April timeline to fulfill the Government's implementation of its (ceasefire) commitments, as endorsed by the Security Council, is not an excuse for continued killing," it said.

Earlier, Turkey said that if the influx of refugees continued at the current rate, it would need international assistance. More than 2,800 Syrians have crossed over the border in 36 hours, with the total now near 24,000, Mr Davutoglu said.

Many of the refugees have reported intense bombardment by government forces.

Continue reading the main story
Ceasefire timetable
10 April: Government must withdraw troops and heavy weapons such as tanks from towns, cities and villages
Following 48 hours: Ceasefire to be implemented on the ground with the onus on the opposition to follow the government's lead
06:00 local time on 12 April: All forms of violence must be stopped on all sides
Next step: All parties to hold talks on a political solution

On Friday, activists said violence was continuing across the country.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says that in Homs and some other areas the approach of the deadline to halt all violence seems to have brought an escalation rather than a reduction.

He says activists are accusing the government of trying to complete its crackdown come what may; but government officials say it is the rebel fighters who are exploiting the impending withdrawal of the military from towns and cities.

A UN team is currently in Damascus to negotiate the possibility of deploying UN monitors to oversee any ceasefire.

Mr Annan has said that if the truce is successful a small mobile UN monitoring mission of some 200-250 observers could be brought into Syria.

The UN estimates more than 9,000 people have died in the year-long uprising against Assad

Apr 7, 5:21 AM EDT


Activists: 24 killed in clashes in central Syria












Latest Syria News
Activists: 24 killed in clashes in central Syria
Gulf plan could be blank check for Syrian rebels







BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian opposition groups say government shelling and firefights between troops and army defectors have killed at least 24 in a village in central Syria.

The Local Coordination Committees activist network said the violence took place Saturday in the village of al-Latamneh in the suburbs of the restive city of Hama.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the number of deaths at 27. It said most were killed by shells fired as troops tried to storm al-Latamneh following clashes with defectors there over the past two days.

Syrian forces have launched offensives across the country as a cease-fire deadline brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan nears.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Apr 7, 9:45 AM EDT


Activists: 53 killed in ongoing Syria offensives

By ZEINA KARAM
Associated Press





Indictment of Monzer al-Kassar


Latest Syria News
Activists: 53 killed in ongoing Syria offensives
Gulf plan could be blank check for Syrian rebels

Syrian Uprising: Why It Matters

Annan's 6-point proposal to end Syria conflict

Amid chaos of uprising, crime wave hits Syria








BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian government shelling and offensives against rebel-held towns killed at least 53 civilians across the country on Saturday, activists said, as the U.S. posted online satellite images of troop deployments that cast further doubt on whether the regime intends to comply with an internationally sponsored peace plan.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has accepted a cease-fire deadline brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan, which calls for his forces to pull out of towns and cities by Tuesday and for both government and rebels to lay down their arms by 6 a.m. local time Thursday.

But the escalating violence of the past few days has fueled accusations that Assad is rushing to stamp out as much of the year-old uprising against him as he can before next week's cease-fire. The Syrian government said it has begun to withdraw forces ahead of the cease-fire but activists say no significant pullouts have taken place and troops, checkpoints and snipers remain in almost all major flashpoint towns and cities.

"They are systematically trying to crush the revolt wherever they can and regardless of the human cost," said activist Mohammad Saeed in the Damascus suburb of Douma.

U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford said the Syrian government appears to have pulled back some of its forces from towns and cities but in other places has kept in place or simply shifted around troops and armored vehicles. He said he was basing his information on satellite images before and after the alleged pullouts which were posted on the U.S. Embassy Facebook page Saturday.

Arrests, sweeps, and the artillery bombardment of opposition strongholds have continued, Ford's statement said.

"This is not the reduction in offensive Syrian government security operations that all agree must be the first step for the Annan initiative to succeed," the late Friday statement said.

"The regime and the Syrian people should know that we are watching. The regime cannot hide the truth," it added.

Ford was forced to leave Syria in February citing security concerns, and the U.S. Embassy there was closed indefinitely.

Western leaders along with the Syrian opposition have cast doubt on Assad's intentions, suggesting he is playing for time and is not serious about the plan, which aims to pave the way for talks between the regime and the opposition on a political solution.

The government has launched offensives in several parts of the country in the past few days in a desperate attempt to crush the rebels.

Opposition groups said at least 53 people were killed across Syria Saturday, most of them in government shelling and clashes in the village of al-Latamneh in the central Hama province. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four people were killed in the nearby Tibet al-Imam area.

An amateur video posted by activists on the Internet showed al-Latamneh residents crying "Allahu Akbar" as they held up a small girl, apparently dead. The video also shows the bodies of several men covered in white sheets lined up on the ground.

In the nearby province of Homs, activists also reported shelling of the rebel-held areas of Rastan, Deir Baalabeh and Qusair, where they said at least three people including a mother and her son were killed.

The Observatory also said 13 unidentified bodies were found in Deir Baalabeh and ten in Hreitan in the northern province of Idlib.

In other violence, Lebanese security officials said six people were killed and 21 wounded in a rocket attack on a Lebanese bus after it crossed into Syria Saturday. The bus was carrying pilgrims to Iraq and was struck after it crossed the Joussiyeh border crossing in eastern Lebanon into Syria.

The officials said five Syrians and a Lebanese were killed in the attack. It was not immediately clear who fired the rocket, or how many of the dead were on the bus or bystanders.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the April 10 timeline "is not an excuse for continued killing." In statements made Friday, he urged the government to "immediately and unconditionally" cease all military actions against the Syrian people.

An offensive in Idlib over the past few days has triggered a massive wave of refugees who crossed the border to Turkey with horrific accounts of mass graves, massacres and burned-out homes.

Activists have reported about 100 dead in the villages of Taftanaz and Killi, both in Idlib, in recent days.

The escalating violence has dimmed hopes that the fighting, which the U.N. says has killed more than 9,000 people, will end anytime soon. The country appears to be spiraling toward civil war - a fearsome development that could bring a regional conflagration.

Ambassador Ford urged Assad to allow a U.N. monitoring force into the country and to give it full access to investigate the regime's compliance with the peace plan.

On Friday, a small U.N. advance team headed by a Norwegian major general, Robert Mood, met with Syria's deputy foreign minister to discuss the cease-fire plans. Mood is to set up a U.N. monitoring force with 200 to 250 members if the peace plan succeeds.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Arabic.

(CNN) -- Syrian forces are targeting civilians displaced from their homes by earlier fighting, an opposition group said Saturday, three days before a deadline for government forces to withdraw from cities.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria said the regime is targeting villages and farms around the eastern city of Rastan, where fighting a month ago forced out more than 80 percent of the city's residents. They escaped to the nearby area but are now coming under attack, according to the group, which is a network of opposition activists.

The death toll has risen to 121, including eight women and five children, the LCC said Saturday. The breakdown of those deaths are 59 in Hama, 28 in Homs, 13 in the Aleppo suburbs, 19 Idlib, one in Daraa, and one in Douma in the Damascus suburbs, the LCC said.

"The bombing by the regime's forces has targeted the villages and farms, causing many martyrs and wounded from among the displaced, and causing the destruction of many homes," the LCC quoted Hassan Al-Ashtar, a commander in the rebel Free Syrian Army, as saying.



Refugees report massacre by Syria troops

Syrian refugees are 'terrified'

Al-Assad's uncle speaks Syria uprising

Syria: Forces face conflict deadline Reports of fighting in Rastan itself came from the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said the regime's forces were fighting defectors at the northern entrance to the city.

While reports of the fighting could not be independently confirmed, the Syrian government has said repeatedly said its forces are fighting armed terrorist gangs and foreign fighters bent on destabilizing the country.

Al-Ashtar said those under attack in the outskirts of Rastan are civilians and that the Free Syrian Army isn't present there.

"The regime's only goal is to displace people and drive them out of their city and the surrounding areas as part of a systematic displacement campaign," he said, according to the LCC.

Other fighting continued across the country Saturday, the group said. The embattled western provinces of Homs and Hama have seen some of the worst fighting between government forces and rebels.

The Syrian government said its forces clashed with "armed terrorist groups" in Hama and Homs, where troops seized weapons including grenades and rocket launchers, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

Saleem Qabbani, an LCC activist in Homs, described to CNN a massacre outside the wall of a local school that the Syrian army used to launch offensives and detain people.

After troops left the school following clashes with the rebel Free Syria Army, 13 people, including youths, were found dead, with signs of torture, Qabbani said. Some of the bodies were still bleeding when Qabbani came upon them Saturday, he said.

A female activist in Hama spoke to CNN via Skype on Saturday, describing a government attack with tanks near the Hama stadium that left at least one person dead.

The activist, identified only as Nesma, said the attack was continuing more than 14 hours after it began and that the air force flew over the city all night.

SANA reported Saturday that the government sent two identical letters to the president of the United Nations Security Council and to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accusing Arab and Western countries of backing the armed groups.

The letters outlined countless attacks by the armed groups and documented a number of deaths, including the killings of 2,088 Syrian forces and 478 police officers. They urged the United Nations to do more to stop weapons and arms from reaching the fighters.

The Syrian government and the opposition agreed to pull their forces from cities by Tuesday as part of an agreement brokered by Kofi Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general who now serves as the U.N. and Arab League special envoy on the Syrian crisis.

But in the letters, Syria complained that "terrorist acts committed by the armed terrorist groups in Syria have increased during the last few days, particularly after reaching an understanding on Kofi Annan's plan," according to SANA's report.

The withdrawal from cities is part of Annan's six-point plan for Syria, which also calls for a cease-fire by both sides and a Syrian-led political process to end the crisis.

The Syrian government has said it will implement the peace plan and has already taken steps to comply. Its ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, acknowledged fighting continues, but he blamed that on opposition groups he said were being armed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, which currently holds the presidency of the U.N. General Assembly.

The government has committed to the Tuesday deadline but is demanding a guarantee from Annan that once its troops pull back, other groups will do the same.

The United Nations estimates that the fighting in Syria, which began a year ago, has killed at least 9,000 people. The LCC puts the toll at more than 11,000.

CNN's Kamal Ghattas contributed to this report.