Syria warns West against intervention

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said the situation in Syria remains "highly precarious".

The UN has reached a preliminary deal with the Syrian government on rules governing the deployment of observers to monitor an agreed ceasefire.

Mr Ban said he has seen "troubling" evidence of ongoing violence.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for a global arms embargo and further sanctions if the government continues to break the ceasefire.

The BBC's Ian Pannell in northern Syria reports seeing numerous breaches of the ceasefire over the last week.

Our correspondent says he saw a helicopter gunship firing on villages in the Jabel al-Zawiya area, killing at least two people.

'Path to civil war'

Foreign ministers from the Friends of Syria coalition, meeting in Paris on Thursday evening, agreed that the ceasefire and Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan were the "last hope" of avoiding civil war in Syria.

Mrs Clinton called for a Security Council resolution to impose UN sanctions on Syria if President Bashar al-Assad blocked the monitors' mission.

The Friends of Syria group includes Western and Arab nations, but not Russia or China, who have blocked previous attempts to introduce UN sanctions.

Mrs Clinton said she had met her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, earlier in the day, and he recognised that the situation in Syria was "deteriorating".

The French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said that if the UN-backed peace plan failed, Syria would be "on the path to civil war".

Mr Juppe warned the situation in Syria could spill out to the wider region, and said "several hundred" international monitors were needed.

Mr Ban stressed Syria's responsibility to provide "unfettered access" and use of helicopters to the monitors, the first of whom arrived this week.

The agreement reached with Damascus does not include access to aircraft, according to the Reuters news agency.

It is also not clear how freely observers will be permitted to move around under the terms agreed with the Syrian authorities.

Mr Ban says he wants the UN observer mission to increased to 300, to be deployed over three months.

Some correspondents say the Security Council, which is not due to make a decision on the mission until next week, may be afraid to put unarmed observers on the ground if the situation continues to deteriorate.

The UN chief said such a deployment would not be without risk, but UN supervision, with a clear mandate and the right capacity, would contribute to improving the situation on the ground.

He also called on Syria to allow UN agencies to mount a "major humanitarian field operation", which he said was needed to help the estimated one million people affected by the uprising.

'Respecting sovereignty'

The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, an activist group, said fresh fighting on Thursday killed at least three people across the country.

A member of the UN advance team signed the agreement with Syria's deputy foreign minister
There has also been further government shelling of parts of the third biggest city, Homs, the BBC's Jim Muir reports from neighbouring Lebanon.

Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad and a member of an advance team of observers, which arrived in the country earlier this week, signed the preliminary accord in Damascus, the Syrian foreign ministry said.

"This agreement comes within the framework of Syrian efforts aimed at making the Annan plan succeed and to facilitate the UN observer mission while respecting Syria's sovereignty," a statement said.

The office of Mr Annan confirmed an agreement had been signed, and said it was also having discussions with representatives of Syrian opposition groups.

"This agreement outlines the functions of the observers as they fulfil their mandate in Syria and the tasks and responsibilities of the Syrian government in this regard," a statement said.

'Opportunity'
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 a report to the UN, Mr Ban said the Syrian government had not complied with the terms of the peace deal, but that there remained an "opportunity for progress".

While violence had fallen at the time the truce came into effect on 12 April, it had escalated again in recent days, he said. Mr Ban said it was critical that the government kept its pledge to withdraw troops from populated areas.

He also noted that there had been "no significant release of detainees", and "no substantive progress" in negotiations on humanitarian access, in reference to other aspects of Mr Annan's six-point plan.

He said observers had been prevented from going to the city of Homs after the government cited "security concerns". But observers were allowed to visit the town of Deraa freely.

Our correspondent says that while the trip to Deraa took place without incident, observers found themselves mobbed by protesters in the Damascus suburb of Arbeen.

Syrian state television showed pictures of Bashar al-Assad and his wife packing boxes at an aid distribution centre
Gunfire broke out and the observers had to get out, he says. Several demonstrators were injured, according to activists.

In his report, Mr Ban said: "The situation in Arbeen became tense when a crowd that was part of an opposition demonstration forced United Nations vehicles to a checkpoint."

"Subsequently, the crowd was dispersed by firing projectiles. Those responsible for the firing could not be ascertained by the United Nations military observers."

Ahead of the Friends of Syria meeting in Paris, President Sarkozy of France accused the regime of trying to wipe out Homs altogether, and called for the imposition of humanitarian "corridors" in Syria.

Also on Thursday, Britain announced that it was contributing £4m ($6.4) to a UN fund for humanitarian needs caused by the conflict.

(CNN) -- The international sense of urgency over the Syrian crisis grew on Thursday, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for an arms embargo and other tough U.N. Security Council steps against the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Clinton suggested moving "very vigorously" toward a Chapter VII sanctions resolution, including travel and financial sanctions as well as the arms embargo, pressure that would coax the regime to comply with U.N. and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan. A Chapter VII resolution would provide for the use of force if needed.

Clinton, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and other top diplomats met Thursday in Paris about what to do if a week-old cease-fire in Syria fails.

"I think we are all here out of a sense of great frustration and outrage over what we see occurring in Syria," Clinton said. "We also are hopeful that despite the evidence thus far, the mission of Kofi Annan can begin to take root, starting with monitors being sent, but remembering that it's a six-point plan and that it is not a menu of options. It has to be a complete acceptance by the Syrian government of all six points."



Syrian refugees too scared to return Also Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said violence has persisted and the Syrian government hasn't lived up to its own promise to withdraw troops from cities, a key element of Annan's peace plan.



Activist confirms unrest despite U.N.

Envoys' wives plea to Syria first lady

Rice on Syria: Reason to be skeptical An advance team of U.N. observers is in Syria to check compliance with the cease-fire, with 30 unarmed monitors expected in the coming days. Ban called for an initial three-month observer mission to be expanded to 300 monitors in 10 locations and is asking the U.N. Security Council to authorize the expanded number.

Juppe said the failure of Annan's peace plan for Syria "would lead to civil war,"

"We cannot wait," Juppe told reporters. "Time is against us. We need to act quickly. Otherwise we'll have to see what other options are available to the Security Council and to the international community."

Russia and China, which have blocked the Security Council from taking action against the Syrian government, declined an invitation to the Paris meeting, the French foreign ministry said.

In the meeting, French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged nations to persuade Moscow and Beijing to drop their support for Syria's regime.

Ban said it appears violence "dropped markedly" after the truce began April 12, but government shelling of civilian areas, actions by armed groups, and other hostilities jumped again in recent days.

Thirty people, including two women and a child, were killed in Syria on Thursday, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. Dozens more have been killed in the past few days.

The LCC featured a video posted online Thursday that it said showed a rocket hitting a high-rise in Homs, the scene of some of the worst violence since the Syrian uprising began more than a year ago. The resulting fireball was followed by thick black smoke.

The group also reported strong explosions in Homs from military artillery and a raid and arrest campaign in another part of the city, during which several people were arrested on charges of failure to appear for mandatory military service.

In the town of Hama, the group said, regime forces launched raids and destroyed homes, shops and the town's only hospital.

Annan's plan calls on both sides to end the violence, allow access to humanitarian groups, release detainees and begin a political dialogue.

Ban said in a letter to U.N. Security Council President Susan Rice, who is also the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, that armed violence continues even though both the government and opposition say they're committed to ending it.

Annan's plan also says demonstrators should be able to protest peacefully, and while there was a restrained regime response to demonstrations a week ago, Ban said "there were nevertheless attempts to intimidate protesters, including reports of incidents of rifle fire by government troops."

There has also been no significant release of detainees, another point of Annan's plan, Ban said.

There also has been no substantive progress on providing humanitarian assistance, Ban said. The United Nations says 230,000 people have been displaced by the violence.

The lack of progress, Ban said, is unacceptable.

The United Nations and Syria on Thursday agreed on the function of the advance team of observers in Syria and the government's role while they are there.

Liu Weimin, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Beijing was considering providing personnel for the U.N. observers mission, according to Xinhua, China's official news agency.

Rice said the advance mission is an important test of whether Syria will permit the effective operation of a larger monitoring system.

She noted that the Security Council, in its Syria resolution Saturday, called on the Syrian government to make sure a larger monitoring mission could work unimpeded.

So far, she said, the monitors' movements have been restricted. Ban noted that in one instance, the government turned down the team's initial request to go to Homs, citing "security concerns."

Observers were in the Daraa province town of Harak on Thursday. After they left, regime gunfire killed two people and wounded dozens, the Local Coordination Committees said.

CNN cannot independently verify reports of violence and deaths as the government has severely restricted access by international media.

Syria has been engulfed in violence for 13 months as a national uprising has spread and the government has cracked down on peaceful protests. The United Nations estimates that at least 9,000 people have died since the protests began, while activist groups put the death toll at more than 11,000.

CNN's Elise Labott is reporting from Paris and Joe Vaccarello is reporting from the United Nations. CNN's Amir Ahmed, Tracy Doueiry and Joe Sterling in Atlanta contributed to this report.

CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council is expected to meet Saturday and vote on a resolution that would expand the size of a U.N. monitoring mission in Syria, Western diplomats said.

The text of the draft calls for the immediate implementation of a six-point peace plan, as put forward by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, and demands all parties, including the opposition, stop the violence. It would further authorize the deployment of up to 300 unarmed military observers, who would be expected to ensure compliance with a shaky cease-fire imposed last week.

The resolution represents the merger of Western and Russian texts, the diplomats said. The vote is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET, they added.

However, Security Council President Susan Rice, who is also the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, advised caution late Friday.

"If council members are in a position to vote, we are aiming to do so tomorrow around 11. It's possible that not everybody will have instructions at that point," she told reporters.

The 15-member Security Council previously approved the deployment of an advance team of 30 monitors meant to pave the way for a larger group of observers.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for the initial three-month observer mission to be expanded to 300 monitors in 10 locations, and asked the Security Council to authorize the expanded number.

A handful of observers are already in Syria; more are expected soon.

"We have seven observers on the ground today, two more are arriving on Monday to bring those on the ground to nine ... (and) we will make the numbers up to 30 some time during the course of next week," said Ahmad Fawzi, spokesman for Annan.

He said the observers in the country have not yet been to Homs, which has been a hotbed for dissent and bloodshed in recent months.

"The situation on the ground is not good, as we all know," Fawzi said. "It's a very fragile cease-fire. There are casualties every day. There are incidents every day and we have to do everything we can to stop what's going on: the killing, the violence in all its forms."

Russia -- which has blocked action against the Syrian regime -- called for the quick approval of the Security Council resolution to deploy more monitors.

"Every effort should be made to get a second resolution passed that would approve a full-scale monitoring mission and, simultaneously, influence all groups in Syria without exception into cooperating for the sake of implementing the Annan plan," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference Friday in Moscow.

Syria and the United Nations reached agreement Thursday on a protocol for the advance monitoring team and other observers. It outlines the functions of the observers, and the tasks and responsibilities of the Syrian government, according to Annan.

Russia said a Syrian opposition delegation will visit Moscow next week.

Meanwhile, China said it will send observers to join the U.N. monitoring mission, the state-run China Daily newspaper reported, citing a foreign ministry spokesman.

The expected U.N. vote would come one day after Syrian protesters gathered for demonstrations that were met with armed resistance from government forces, opposition groups said.

Security forces in Aleppo used gunfire and tear gas on demonstrators, injuring four, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

In Daraa province, forces fired at protesters to disperse them, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, another opposition group.

Meanwhile, the government blamed terrorists for exploding a bomb that killed 10 troops in the region of Quneitra.

In all, 57 people were killed across Syria on Friday, the coordination committees said. Twenty-one people were killed in Homs, 10 in Idlib, seven in Damascus, seven in Aleppo, six in Damascus suburbs, four in Bokamal and two in Daraa, the group said.

Security forces also raided homes in a neighborhood in the capital of Damascus.

"Fear is spreading among the residents after arrival of military reinforcements and heavy security deployment," the opposition group said in a statement.

In the northern Syrian town of Binnish, there were four men at a protest wearing camouflage uniforms with the letters "U.N." embedded on them. They were not real U.N. observers, however, but demonstrators who were mocking the tiny six-man U.N. mission in the country so far.

"We demonstrated dressed up like this in the streets to inform the world what is happening to us and to make them pay attention to what is happening in Binnish and this region," one of the costumed protesters told CNN by phone. He gave his name only as Ahmed.

"We also wanted to show the world the mockery that (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad is making of the United Nations and the world," he said.

The costumed protesters walked around with paper and cotton sticking out of their ears. They did so, Ahmed explained, "because the world is not listening and acting deaf and refusing to listen."

CNN cannot independently verify reports of violence and deaths as the government has severely restricted access by international media.

The international community is seeking an end to the bloodshed, but the Security Council is split between Western countries demanding tough measures against al-Assad, and Russia and China, which have blocked action against the regime.

While violence ebbed after the truce began last week, Ban said, it resumed days later and Syria has not lived up to its promise to withdraw troops from cities, a key element of the peace plan.

The plan calls on both sides to end the violence, allow access to humanitarian groups, release detainees and begin a political dialogue.

It also says demonstrators should be able to protest peacefully. While there was a restrained regime response to demonstrations a week ago, Ban said, there were attempts to intimidate protesters, including reports of gunfire by government troops.

There has also been no significant release of detainees and no substantive progress on providing humanitarian assistance, another point of the peace plan, Ban said.

Syria has been engulfed in violence for 13 months as a national uprising has spread, and the government has cracked down on peaceful protests. The United Nations estimates that at least 9,000 people have died since the protests began, while activist groups put the death toll at more than 11,000.

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

(CNN) -- The six-point peace plan for Syria proposed by Kofi Annan is doomed to fail for one simple reason: Neither President Bashar al-Assad nor the government opposition is interested in making it work.

For al-Assad, full implementation of the plan, which includes a political settlement through dialogue and respect for the rights of citizens to demonstrate peacefully, will bring an end to his regime. From the onset of the uprisings, his government knew that a repeat of the protests in Egypt's Tahrir Square or Bahrain's Pearl Square in Damascus or Aleppo will mean regime change. Al-Assad and his inner circle are not about to create conditions that are conducive for such sit-ins just because the Annan plan calls on them to do so.

For the opposition groups, Annan could spend all the time he wants on negotiations, but any talks not predicated on al-Assad's stepping aside will not be acceptable. The activists who are spearheading Syria's revolution insist that the opposition exile leadership has a limited mandate and that is to discuss details for the transfer of power from the Assad family to the opposition.


Randa SlimThe bottom line is that the two main protagonists in the conflict look at the Annan plan as a means to achieve their respective, mutually exclusive objectives.

By agreeing to the Annan plan, al-Assad pursues a dual-track strategy: He appeases his Russian and Iranian allies, who have been pressuring him to accept a political solution, while working to kill his way out of the crisis under the pretext that he is confronting "armed terrorists and gangs."

The opposition wants the cease-fire in order to field mass protests. As one activist from Hama put it to me recently: "We don't need military intervention, we don't need humanitarian corridors, we don't need safe areas. Enforce the cease-fire and millions will march toward the presidential palace demanding Assad's ouster."

After more than a year of uprisings, Syria is still stuck in a violent stalemate. Al-Assad has not been able to crush the opposition, and opposition seems nowhere near to dislodging al-Assad. Increasingly, the conflict is being framed in existential terms, with some involved becoming more radicalized.

The majority of Alawites believe their physical survival is at stake, because they are convinced al-Assad's demise will engender wide-scale revenge killings on them. Hence, they will not accept a solution that will produce a new regime in which they are not guaranteed a leading role. Similarly, the opposition groups believe that if they stop now and al-Assad remains in power, he will hunt them down.

Absent a game changer that will tip the balance in favor of one side or the other, the crisis in Syria will become a full-blown sectarian war pitting Sunnis against Alawites, which will likely spill over into the neighboring countries of Iraq and Lebanon.

Although military options have been considered by the West, it's hard to say whether that would make a difference in reversing the dynamics in the country. A military operation might cause a regional war involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran, with each country supporting its allies in Syria.

For now, Iran's Supreme Leader has cast his support firmly with al-Assad. A well-informed Iranian source told me that the Iranian regime will support al-Assad no matter what until the end. On the other hand, Russia's Syria policy seems to be in flux judging by its vote in the United Nations recently. It's too early to tell whether Russia will ease al-Assad out the way Saudi Arabia did in the case of Yemen's Abdullah Saleh. Russia and Iran will probably not abandon al-Assad until they are part of the deal-making process about Syria's future government.

One possible game changer is if the protest movement in Syria becomes widespread and covers large stretches of the country.

To date, only four of Syria's 14 governorates constitute the major hubs of the protest movement: Homs, Hama, Idlib and Daraa. While we have seen protests in other regions, they have not been as sustained and extensive as those in the four governorates. This is partly due to the state of fragmentation in the opposition ranks, especially among the exile groups, which do not inspire confidence among fence-sitters.

Although large segments of fence-sitters including businessmen have come around to supporting the opposition, many remain ambivalent because they doubt the opposition will succeed in overthrowing al-Assad. This perception is reinforced by the fact that Annan's plan does not call for al-Assad to step down -- a detail that is not missed by the Assad regime propaganda machine.

While the exile opposition remains divided, there are hopeful signs that the opposition ranks within Syria are becoming better organized, better trained and gaining legitimacy.

The future leaders of Syria will not come from the Syrian National Council or the National Coordination Committee for Change; they will emerge from the ranks of the revolutionary councils that are forming in different parts of the country.

These councils bring together an eclectic mix of the most active local coordinating committees, independent activists, community and business leaders and military defectors. They are putting in place an administrative infrastructure that is akin to a local provincial council, handling everything from media affairs to helping families who lost their homes to providing legal aid to jailed activists. They are also coordinating with each other to protect relief supply lines that cross their respective territories. In the process, the leaders in these councils, who hail from Syria's different religious and ethnic groups, are developing political skills, cultivating local constituencies and learning through trial and error the business of governing.

In a country that is increasingly polarized along sectarian and ethnic lines, these councils can perhaps provide the glue that keeps the country stitched together.

4:42pm UK, Saturday April 21, 2012

The UN Security Council has unanimously passed a resolution allowing a 300-strong ceasefire monitoring mission in Syria, despite the strong doubts of many Western nations.
Under UN resolution 2043, the unarmed military observers will be sent if UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon decides it is safe for them to go.

Envoys from several western nations highlighted the risks of sending the monitors as violence has not stopped amid a ceasefire.

Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomed the vote decision and implementation of the UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point plan.

"This resolution increases the pressure on the Syrian regime to begin a transition to a democratic, plural political system. I welcome the fact that the council reaffirmed its full support for this goal," Mr Hague said.

"However, I remain extremely concerned that the Syrian regime is still failing to meet its commitments, and that there has been further violence and the use of heavy weapons since 12 April when a ceasefire should have come into effect."

He added: "The Syrian regime must stop immediately troop movements towards population centres, end the use of heavy weapons in civilian areas, and withdraw the military to their barracks."

Earlier, UN inspectors visited the city of Homs ahead of the security council vote, where fighting stopped before their arrival in the third city.

They were met the governor and shown around four neighbourhoods including the battered Baba Amr area.

Regime forces shelled the neighbourhood for a month, leaving hundreds dead according to monitors, before retaking it from rebels on March 1. Two western journalists were among those killed.

The seven-strong advance UN team had previously been to the southern province of Daraa and toured some of the suburbs of the capital Damascus.

Their trip to Homs was regarded as particularly important as the city has been among the hardest hit by the violence that has engulfed Syria in the past year.



According to the UN it has left more than 9,000 people dead, while tens of thousands have fled to neighbouring Turkey.

Earlier the Syrian state news agency said terrorists had blown up a section of an oil pipeline in the east of the country.

There have also been reports of a woman being shot dead by a sniper in town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border and of a big explosion at a military base in the Mazzeh district of Damascus.

The pipeline attack came after the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) renewed its call for the UN to intervene militarily in the country.

"We call anew on the UN Security Council to act with all urgency to intervene militarily to bring an end to the crimes committed by the bloody regime against the unarmed Syrian people," the SNC said in a statement.

The group claims government forces entered the Bayyada neighbourhood of Homs and attacked local residents.

It said "streets and houses were full of the bodies of martyrs and the destruction terrifying".



UN observers in the Syrian capital Damascus: They arrived in the country after the ceasefire began

Monitors say more than 200 people have been killed in the country since the UN-brokered ceasefire - to which all sides agreed - came into effect on April 12.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has expressed concern about the fate of a cardiologist, Dr Mahmud al-Rifai, who was arrested in Damascus on February 16 for having treated injured protesters. They believe he may have been tortured.

The London-based group raised similar fears about another doctor, Mohammed al-Ammar, who was detained on March 19 in the southern city of Daraa, the cradle of the uprising.

21 April 2012 Last updated at 20:44 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page

The UN Security Council has voted to increase the number of observers in Syria to 300 for three months.

A small UN team is currently in Syria to monitor a fragile ceasefire between government and rebel forces.

The UN resolution was unanimously approved by the 15-member council, as the monitors were allowed to visit the city of Homs for the first time.

The visit came amid a lull in fighting in the opposition stronghold, which has been under bombardment by the army.

Rebels said tanks had been temporarily hidden out of sight while the observers were in the city, and that shelling was likely to resume.

However amateur video posted on the internet shows gunfire breaking out during the visit and monitors being surrounded by Homs residents. It is not clear who is responsible for the firing.

Continue reading the main story
Analysis

Barbara Plett

BBC UN correspondent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The resolution was a compromise between a Russian and a European text. The main difference was over conditions required for sending the monitors.

The Russians didn't specify any criteria. Western states wanted the deployment contingent on government compliance with the ceasefire, especially its pledge to pull troops and heavy weapons back to barracks.

In the end, all agreed to let the Secretary General make the decision about when it would be safe enough to deploy the unarmed observers.

But Western diplomats made no secret of their concern about the fragile state of Kofi Annan's peace plan. The US ambassador Susan Rice warned that Washington wouldn't wait the full three months of the monitors' mandate to pursue measures against Damascus if it continued to violate its commitments.

But it's difficult to see what alternative the West has to the Annan plan, given that it doesn't support foreign military intervention, and would face Russian and Chinese vetoes for any UN sanctions.

A Homs activist calling himself Abo told the BBC that he and other activists had tried to protect the monitors.

"This is our first day of calm for months," he said. "The regime today didn't shell any area or open fire until the observers came here."

There is no word from the UN itself about the alleged incident.

Ban Ki-moon's call

The UN resolution was adopted following a debate about the conditions for deployment.

European states had said the unarmed observers should be sent only when Syria implemented its pledge to send troops and tanks back to barracks.

Russia - which is regarded as an ally of Damascus - simply emphasised the need to send more monitors to Syria quickly.

In the end, the resolution leaves it to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to decide how and when they will be deployed.

Although overall violence has fallen since the truce was agreed by the UN and Syria more than a week ago, many violations have been reported by activists and journalists on the ground.

According to Reuters news agency, at least 23 people were killed on Friday, 10 of them in a roadside bomb targeting security forces and most of the others in army shelling on the city of Homs.

Footage emerged appearing to show UN observers under fire in Homs
The Damascus authorities say they are fighting armed terrorist groups and that the ceasefire allows them to respond to attacks.

The UN estimates that government forces have killed more than 9,000 people in the uprising. Syria says foreign-backed militants have killed more than 2,600 soldiers and police.

Aid fears

Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the council after Saturday's vote that the resolution was "of fundamental importance" to push forward the six-point peace plan negotiated by international envoy Kofi Annan.

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

Britain's envoy Sir Mark Lyall Grant said the expanded observer mission "represents the last opportunity to secure a solution to the crisis in Syria.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier in the week called for a global arms embargo and further sanctions if the government continued to break the ceasefire.

The international community has also been looking at ways of getting humanitarian aid to Syria, with diplomats meeting in Geneva on Friday to discuss the situation.

They agreed to a draft plan to provide $180m (£112m) for food, medicine and other supplies to about one million people inside Syria.

That comes on top of the aid that is being delivered to refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries.

Apr 22, 4:03 AM EDT Activists: Syrian troops attack Damascus suburb By ZEINA KARAM Associated Press Documents Indictment of Monzer al-Kassar Latest Syria News Activists: Syrian troops attack Damascus suburb Israeli defense minister: Assad ouster 'positive' Syria by the numbers: Key figures in the crisis No fans of Assad, Syria's Kurds distrust uprising BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian troops stormed and shelled districts in a suburb of the capital Damascus Sunday, activists said, a day after the Security Council voted to expand the number of U.N. truce monitors to 300 members in hopes of salvaging an international peace plan marred by continued fighting between the military and opposition rebels. An eight-member team is already on the ground in Syria, and has visited flashpoints of the 13-month-long conflict since Thursday. Fighting generally stops when they are present, but there has been a steady stream of reports of violence from areas where they have not yet gone. Douma-based activist Mohammed Saeed said two people were killed by indiscriminate firing in the sprawling district, the scene of intense clashes between rebels and security forces before a cease-fire went into effect more than a week ago. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition group with a network of activists on the ground, confirmed the deaths. It reported that a third person was killed overnight in the village of Hteita outside Damascus when troops opened fire from a checkpoint. It was not immediately clear what prompted the attack on Douma. Saeed said loud explosions that shook the city early Sunday caused panic among residents, some of whom used mosque loudspeakers to urge people to take cover in basements and in lower floors of apartment buildings. "This U.N. observers thing is a big joke," Saeed said. "Shelling stops and tanks are hidden when they visit somewhere, and when they leave, shelling resumes." His comments reflects widespread lack of faith among many Syrians in the U.N. peace plan. More than 9,000 people have been killed since March 2011 when the uprising against President Bashar Assad began, according to the U.N. The Security Council approved a resolution Saturday expanding the U.N. cease-fire observer mission from 30 to 300 members, initially for 90 days. The expanded force is meant to shore up a cease-fire that officially took effect 10 days ago, but has failed to halt violence. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has accused Assad of violating the truce, and said Saturday that "the gross violations of the fundamental rights of the Syrian people must stop at once." Rebel fighters have also kept up attacks. The eight-member advance team has visited the Damascus suburb of Arbeen, the southern province of Daraa, and the battered opposition stronghold of Homs. The monitors have not visited Douma yet. Five monitors who toured Homs Saturday encountered unusually calm streets after weeks of shelling, and activists said it was the first quiet day in months. Two observers stayed behind in Homs to keep monitoring the city, after the rest of the team left that evening. Amateur video posted on the Internet showed the observers, protected only by bright blue helmets and bulletproof vests, walking through rubble-strewn deserted streets lined by gutted apartments buildings. They were thronged by residents clamoring for foreign military help to oust Assad. In one video, two monitors are seen sitting in a room listening to a Syrian man asking them to stay in Homs. "We want you to stay, please stay ... When you come, shelling stops, killing stops. It's our blood," the man says as an observer nods his head. The truce and the observer mission are part of special envoy Kofi Annan's plan for ending 13 months of violence and launching talks between Assad and those trying to oust him. Syria's opposition and its Western supporters suspect Assad is largely paying lip service to the cease-fire since full compliance could quickly sweep him from power. So far, the regime has ignored such provisions and instead continued attacking opposition strongholds, though on a smaller scale than before the truce deadline. © 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 23, 10:15 AM EDT


EU imposes new sanctions on Syrian regime

By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press

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LUXEMBOURG (AP) -- The European Union on Monday banned the sale of luxury goods and products to Syria that can have military as well as civilian uses, and U.N. truce monitors started deploying in the conflict-torn nation.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the EU's 27 foreign ministers approved the new set of sanctions - the 14th in the past year - "because of deep concern about the situation and continuing violence in spite of the ceasefire."

Previous rounds of U.S. and EU sanctions have done little to stop the bloodshed, although there are signs the Syrian economy is suffering. International measures against President Bashar Assad's regime have depleted its foreign currency reserves by half, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said last week.

EU experts will work out later precisely which goods will be included in the new embargo. One of the diplomats said so-called "dual-use" goods can include anything from vehicles to fertilizers and other chemicals.

The only precedent in international relations for the luxury ban is one imposed by the EU in 2007 on North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Officials said this could serve as a model for the same measure against Syria. That ban included foods such as caviar and truffles, high-quality wines and spirits, fashion accessories including bags and shoes, perfumes, crystal and silverware, and purebred horses.

The ban on luxury items appears to take direct aim at some of Assad's most loyal supporters: the business community and prosperous merchant classes that are key to propping up the regime. An influential bloc, the business leaders have long traded political freedoms for economic privileges in Syria.

So far, the wealthy classes have stuck to the sidelines, but if the economic squeeze reaches them, it could be a game changer, analysts say.

Assad, who inherited power in 2000, spent years shifting the country away from the socialism espoused by his father. In the process, he helped boost a new and vibrant merchant class that transformed Syria's economic landscape even as the regime's political trappings remained unchanged.

The U.N. estimates that more than 9,000 people have been killed since an uprising against the government of Assad began in Syria a year ago.

The world body has sent an advance eight-person observer team to Syria to support a plan by international envoy Kofi Annan to end the country's 13-month crisis. The U.N. has authorized a mission of 300 observers.

"We need to continue to intensify pressure on the Assad regime," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said. "They are not in complete compliance with the cease-fire provisions of the Annan plan."

---

Associated Press correspondent Elizabeth A. Kennedy in Beirut contributed to this report.

© 2012 The Associated


***Yes, that's going to do a lot of good, an embargo on Truffles........what about guns and tanks.?????? Pathetic.

23 April 2012 Last updated at 15:14 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page


Shells fired by Syrian security forces have killed at least 20 people in the central city of Hama, activists say.

Dozens have reportedly also been injured in two northern districts.

EU foreign ministers meanwhile imposed a new round of sanctions, banning the export of luxury products and goods that could be used to repress dissent.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said Damascus was "not in full compliance of the ceasefire requirements" of the peace plan negotiated by Kofi Annan.

On Sunday, Mr Annan described as a "pivotal moment" the UN Security Council's decision to deploy up to 300 observers to Syria.

"The government in particular must desist from the use of heavy weapons and, as it has committed, withdraw such weapons and armed units from population centres and implement fully its commitments under the six-point plan," Mr Annan, the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, added.

A UNSMIS advance team arrived in the country in the past week and over the weekend visited the central city of Homs, which has been under almost constant bombardment since the ceasefire began 10 days ago.

'Houses burning'

Opposition and human rights activists said government tanks and artillery opened fired on the Arbaeen and Mashaa al-Arbaeen districts of Hama, which lie to the north of the city centre, on Monday morning.

UN observers were surrounded by anti-government protesters in the Damascus suburb of Douma
"It began in the morning with tanks and artillery, there were houses burning," a local activist called Mousab told Reuters news agency by telephone. "[Then] the military forces entered and shot people in the street."

He said 20 people had been killed and 60 wounded. The Local Co-ordination Committees, an activist network, put the death toll at 26.

Another activist living in a neighbouring district said he could see a thick column of smoke rising from areas where the shells had been landing.

Earlier, Syrian state television reported that observers had visited Zabadani, a town in the mountains north-west of Damascus. A UNMIS spokesman said the team also planned to travel to the suburbs of Douma and Harasta.

An activist in Zabadani, Fares Mohammed, said the UN team had been in the town for only about 30 minutes, had talked to a few people and seen some buildings damaged by what he said were government attacks.

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

Army tanks deployed in the town centre had been withdrawn shortly before the visit and hidden less than 1km (0.6 miles) away, Mr Mohammed added.

"Those tanks can be back in the city in two minutes," he told the Associated Press.

But in Homs, the continued presence of two observers appears to have led to a significant reduction in violence in recent days.

"Before, we were getting hit with rockets and mortars," activist Abu Mohammed Ibrahim told AP.

"Now there are snipers and some gunfire, but only medium weapons. Before they fired all they had at us."

Meanwhile, state media reported that "terrorists" had killed a doctor and two military officers in the country's south, and another two officers in Hama province.

The UN says about 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In February, the Syrian government put the death toll at 3,838 - 2,493 civilians and 1,345 security forces personnel.

'Keeping up pressure'

Monday's fresh violence came as diplomats said the EU's Council of Foreign Ministers had agreed a 14th round of sanctions.

EU experts will work out over the next few weeks precisely which products will be affected by the new embargoes.

The apparently expensive tastes of Bashar al-Assad's wife, Asma, have been widely criticised
So-called "dual-use" goods, which could be used for repression, could reportedly include anything from vehicles to fertilisers. A ban on luxury goods imposed on North Korea included caviar, truffles, expensive wines and spirits, fashion accessories, perfumes, crystal and silverware and thoroughbred horses.

Diplomats told AFP news agency that the luxury goods ban represented a symbolic blow against President Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, whose apparently expensive tastes have been widely criticised.

Last month, Asma al-Assad, who was born in the UK, was hit with a travel ban and her assets in the EU were frozen. The Syrian leader's mother, sister and sister-in-law were also targeted.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday: "It is very important for us to keep up that pressure, step up that pressure. They are not in full compliance of the ceasefire requirements of the Annan plan."

But Russia's foreign ministry condemned the new sanctions, saying they were "unacceptable from the point of view of international law".

CNN) -- Heavy shelling hit the Syrian city of Hama on Monday, opposition activists said, days after the U.N. Security Council voted to send as many as 300 observers to monitor a tenuous cease-fire.

At least 80 people were killed Monday in Syria, 50 of them in Hama and 21 in Idlib, according the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists. Dozens of people were wounded in Hama, which was visited Sunday by international observers, the activists said.

Elsewhere in the city, security forces opened fire to disperse a demonstration, the Local Coordination Committees said.

Explosions also rocked the devastated city of Homs early Monday, shaking the neighborhoods of Baba Amr and Inshaat.

International pressure on Damascus has been mounting. European Union foreign ministers agreed to ban the export of goods and technology that might be used by Damascus to produce chemical or biological weapons. Also banned was the export of luxury goods to Syria, according to a news release issued Monday by Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague.



U.N. to send more monitors to Syria

UN approves expanding Syrian mission

Syrian activist on UN action

Day of defiance in Syria The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to authorize up to 300 unarmed military monitors to try to bring the Syria government into compliance with a cease-fire imposed this month.

A U.N. observer team visited Damascus with the goal of strengthening a cease-fire that has not ended the violence, which continues after more than a year.

"The team visited different parts of the city, met with all the parties, met with the people, drove around the city, stopped at locations to talk to people also," said Neeraj Singh, the observer team's spokesman, on Sunday. Two U.N. military observers were deployed in Homs, and at least two more were expected Monday, he said.

The cease-fire is part of a six-point peace plan laid out by U.N.-Arab League joint special envoy Kofi Annan and accepted by the Syrian government. The Annan plan calls for the government and the opposition to end the violence, provide access for humanitarian groups, release detainees and start a political dialogue.

Annan spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said last week that he expected the number of observers to reach 30 within a few days.

Annan applauded the Security Council's decision to bolster the monitoring mission.

"The work of the mission should help create the conditions conducive to launching the much-needed political process, which would address the legitimate concerns and aspirations of the Syrian people," Annan said Sunday in a statement.

Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said she was not confident that Annan's plan would ease the crisis.

"The regime's long track record is one of dependable deceit and deception," she said. "We will work to ensure there will be consequences should the Syrian regime continue to ignore this council's decisions, press ahead with its murderous rampage and flout the will of the international community."

Syrian security forces will exercise the "utmost degree of restraint" but remain prepared to defend their national interests against terrorists, Syrian U.N. Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said Saturday.

Syria has consistently blamed "armed terrorist groups" for the violence wracking the country.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said an armed terrorist group bombed a bus carrying officers and soldiers along a road between Raqqa and Aleppo on Sunday, killing one and wounding 42.

Reports of bloodshed dropped in the days after the cease-fire deadline of April 12, but opposition activists have reported scores of deaths since then.

CNN cannot independently verify reports of violence and deaths, as the government has restricted access by international media.

Syria has been engulfed in violence since March 2011, when the government started a crackdown on demonstrators who were peacefully protesting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for 42 years.

The United Nations estimates that at least 9,000 people have died since the protests began, while activist groups put the death toll at more than 11,000. Rice put the total at 10,000.

Syria's unrest has spilled into neighboring countries. In Tripoli, Lebanon, three people at a protest against al-Assad were wounded Sunday when "armed men" fired on the crowd, Lebanon's state-run NNA news agency said.

CNN's Saad Abedine, Joe Vaccarello, Salma Abdelaziz and Holly Yan contributed to this report.

Syrian troops 'attack Damascus suburbs'Recent footage showed explosions in Douma and tanks on the streets in parts of the country
Continue reading the main story
Syria CrisisAgainst the odds
Fear and defiance
New challenges
Annan plan ailing

Syrian security forces have been firing mortar shells and machine-guns at two suburbs of the capital Damascus visited recently by UN monitors, activists say.

At least three people were killed by sniper fire in Harasta and Douma on Wednesday morning, they added. Shelling in Douma on Tuesday left eight dead.

Troops also reportedly shot at a bus in Idlib province, killing three people.

On Tuesday, UN special envoy Kofi Annan expressed concern about apparent surges in violence after visits by observers.

Activists said a number of people had been executed in the central city of Hama after the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) left.

The reports cannot be independently verified.

The US permanent representative to the UN, Susan Rice, said all Security Council members wanted a more rapid deployment of observers to Syria.

Of a projected deployment of up to 300 monitors, only 13 have so far arrived. Ms Rice hoped 100 would be in Syria within a month.

'Reprehensible'

Addressing Security Council diplomats on Tuesday, Mr Annan made it clear that the Syrian military had not withdrawn troops or heavy weapons from population centres, as it is required to do under the six-point peace plan he negotiated.

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 UN and Arab League envoy suggested the Syrian authorities were also targeting people in areas where UNSMIS observers had visited and talked to residents.

Mr Annan said he was "particularly alarmed by reports that government troops entered Hama [on Monday] after observers departed, firing automatic weapons and killing a significant number of people".

"If confirmed, this is totally unacceptable and reprehensible," he added.

Reports of violence from Hama have diminished significantly since the UN announced that two members of the team would be staying there.

As Mr Annan spoke, activists reported that government forces were attacking opposition strongholds near Damascus, including Harasta and Douma to the north-east, which monitors have visited three times in three days.

"There was bombardment all night - artillery and tanks. We didn't sleep at all. Not for a moment," a woman who visited Douma told Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

"Most residents have gone down to live on the ground floor because most of the second and third floors have been hit."

The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), an activist network, said government snipers had also been shooting at people on the streets of Douma, and that troops had carried out raids in several parts of the suburb, arresting suspected activists.

UN observers were surrounded by anti-government protesters in Douma during a visit on Monday
Several people were also shot by snipers in neighbouring Harasta, it added.

The LCC also published video of what it said were three people who were killed and four others who were severely wounded when security forces opened fire on a bus on the motorway which links the second city of Aleppo with Damascus.

The group put the nationwide death toll on Wednesday at 18, including six people in Idlib province, four in Harasta and Douma, and two each in Aleppo, Hama and Deraa.

Meanwhile, Lebanese security sources said the leader of the Lebanese Sunni militant group, Fatah al-Islam, had been killed in Syria while trying to plant a bomb for the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the town of Qusayr, near the central city of Homs.

Abdul Ghani Jawhar is said to have been an expert bomb-maker and masterminded attacks on Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers.

Fatah al-Islam has been linked to al-Qaeda and in 2007 its members fought Lebanese soldiers for 15 weeks for control of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp near the city of Tripoli. At least 430 people were killed.

8:10pm UK, Wednesday April 25, 2012

Kofi Annan has told the United Nations that the situation in Syria is "bleak" and expressed alarm at reports that troops are still carrying out military operations.
Mr Annan expressed particular concern at reports that security forces entered the central city of Hama on Monday after UN observers departed, firing automatic weapons and killing a significant number of people.

"If confirmed, this is totally unacceptable and reprehensible," Mr Annan said.



The joint UN-Arab League envoy said the speedy deployment of the 300-strong observer force authorised by the UN Security Council last Saturday is "crucial" to verify what is happening on the ground.

The observer force also would provide a basis for moving toward a ceasefire by the government and opposition, he said.

Mr Annan briefed the security council by video-conference hours after his spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, said that satellite imagery and other credible reports show that Syria has failed to withdraw all heavy weapons from populated areas as part of an agreed ceasefire deal.

Mr Fawzi also cited credible reports that "people who approach the observers may be approached by security forces or Syrian army and harassed or arrested or even worse, perhaps killed".



UN observers and Free Syrian Army forces inspect Homs

Meanwhile, Syrian troops heavily shelled a suburb of Damascus on Tuesday, hours after rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al Assad killed three regime officers in separate attacks around the capital, according to both activists and state media.

A bomb hidden in an army truck also exploded in the capital, wounding several people.

Mr Annan echoed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who called the current situation "unacceptable" and urged the government to immediately implement his six-point peace-plan, which would culminate with Syrian-led talks to a peace settlement.

"A cessation of violence and action on the six points is vital to sustain a political process," Mr Annan.

"Equally, a credible political process is required if we are to sustain any long-term calm on the ground."



UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan said the situation is 'bleak'

He welcomed the council's initial authorisation of a 30-member advance team of UN observers, and its approval of a 300-strong UN observer team.

He also called for their speedy deployment, with Mr Ban's approval, to get "eyes and ears on the ground" with the ability to move freely and swiftly.

Only 10 observers are currently on the ground, and Mr Annan said two were in Hama on Tuesday.

UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the security council that up to 100 observers would be in Syria in a month, according to a diplomatic source. It normally takes many months to fully deploy a UN mission.



Susan Rice has questioned the Syrian government's intentions

US Ambassador Susan Rice said that "several council members expressed their scepticism on the Syrian government's intentions and the veracity of statements contained in the Syrian foreign minister's letter".

And Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin, whose country is Syria's most important ally, voiced concern at the claims of Syria not withdrawing its troops and heavy weapons.

"If this is the case, if the promise in the letter has not really been carried out, that would mean it is a breach of the promise they have made on Saturday," Mr Churkin said.

"I'm certainly going to bring it to the attention of Moscow that there is an issue that needs to be looked at."

The BBC's Jim Muir: "This kind of devastation would have been hard to cause by conventional shelling"
Continue reading the main story
Syria CrisisAgainst the odds
Fear and defiance
New challenges
Annan plan ailing

Up to 70 people have been killed in an attack on a house in Hama, according to Syrian activists.

They said several houses in the Masha at-Tayyar district in southern Hama were destroyed by a big explosion.

State media said 16 people died in the blast in a house used as a bomb factory by "armed terrorist groups".

Continue reading the main story
Analysis

Jim Muir

BBC News, Beirut

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both the government and rebel sides reported the Hama explosion as a "massacre", but each blamed the other for it and used it to buttress their own narrative of the wider situation.

State TV, showing pictures of wounded children survivors in hospital, said the blast was caused by an accident at a building used as a bomb factory by "terrorist armed groups" who were staging a "programmed escalation backed by regional and international quarters, aimed at derailing the Kofi Annan peace process".

But activist groups said a government missile attack had caused the devastation, as part of a pattern of truce violations that has seen continuing violence in many parts of the country.

Perhaps the two UN monitors stationed in Hama will eventually be able to clarify which version is true.

Until then, Syrians will follow their own inclinations in believing who was responsible.

The violence comes despite a UN-brokered ceasefire - part of a peace plan proposed by the joint UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

Scud attack?

Following the blast in Hama, activists posted video on the internet showing a scene of devastation, with bodies being pulled from the rubble.

One report said 13 children and 15 women were among the dead.

They said the blast was caused by government shelling or even a Scud missile attack.

The opposition Syrian National Council has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting "so that it can issue a resolution to protect civilians".

It says nearly 100 people have been killed in Hama in recent days.

The level of devastation seen would have been difficult to achieve by conventional shelling, the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says.

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

State television showed pictures of injured children in hospital and says that a group using the house to make bombs detonated them accidentally.

The reports cannot be independently verified owing to government restrictions on foreign media.

Meanwhile, a video has emerged which purportedly shows a man being buried alive by security forces, allegedly for sending material to TV stations.

Its authenticity could not be confirmed.

The unnamed man, who is said to be a media activist, is seen pleading for his life as earth is shovelled over his head. He then goes silent.

What appear to be members of the security forces are then heard cursing him for receiving money for sending material to Arabic satellite TV stations.

The video was leaked by sympathisers.

Continuing violence has been reported across Syria since a ceasefire was introduced earlier this month - including in towns where UN observers are present.

France now says the Security Council should consider the use of force in Syria if Mr Annan's peace plan fails to stop the violence.

The plan calls on Damascus to withdraw troops and heavy weapons from cities.

"Totally unacceptable"

Mr Annan told the Security Council on Tuesday that the Syrian military had not withdrawn from population centres.

He condemned as "totally unacceptable and reprehensible", reports that troops entered Hama after UN observers departed on Monday, and carried out summary executions as punishment for having spoken to them.

Two observers have now returned to Hama. They form part of a small advance team, ahead of a team of 300 that the UN would like to deploy.

The US permanent representative to the UN, Susan Rice, told reporters on Tuesday that all Security Council members wanted the observers to be deployed quickly.

Ms Rice said that it was hoped 100 observers would be in Syria within a month, but said Syria had made clear it would not admit UN staff from any country in the "Friends of Democratic Syria" group.

The UN says about 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In February, the Syrian government put the death toll at 3,838 - 2,493 civilians and 1,345 security forces personnel.

26 April 2012 Last updated at 23:01 Share this pageFacebook Twitter Email Print Share this page
Syria 'in contravention' of peace plan, says UN chiefThe
BBC's Jim Muir: "This kind of devastation would have been hard to cause by conventional shelling"

The Syrian government is "in contravention" of an internationally agreed peace plan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned.

Mr Ban "remains deeply troubled" by the continued presence of heavy weapons and troops in Syria's cities as reported by UN monitors, his spokesman said.

Mr Ban demanded that Damascus comply with the peace plan without delay.

The comments come as up to 70 people were killed in an attack on a house in Hama, according to Syrian activists.

They said several houses in the Masha at-Tayyar district in southern Hama were destroyed by a big explosion.

State media said 16 people died in the blast in a house used as a bomb factory by "armed terrorist groups".

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 violence comes despite a UN-brokered ceasefire - part of the six-point peace plan proposed by the joint UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

The plan calls on Damascus to withdraw troops and heavy weapons from cities.

In a separate development, the Arab League said it would urge the UN Security Council to act "immediately" to protect Syrian civilians.

In a statement, the league said the issue would be raised at next week's council meeting.

France earlier said the council should consider the use of force in Syria if the peace plan fails to stop the violence.

'Buried alive'

Following the blast in Hama, activists posted video on the internet showing a scene of devastation, with bodies being pulled from the rubble.

Continue reading
the
main story
Analysis

Jim Muir

BBC News, Beirut

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both
the
government and rebel sides reported
the
Hama explosion as a "massacre", but each blamed
the
o
the
r for it and used it to buttress
the
ir own narrative of
the
wider situation.

State TV, showing pictures of wounded children survivors in hospital, said
the
blast was caused by an accident at a building used as a bomb factory by "terrorist armed groups" who were staging a "programmed escalation backed by regional and international quarters, aimed at derailing
the
Kofi Annan peace process".

But activist groups said a government missile attack had caused
the
devastation, as part of a pattern of truce violations that has seen continuing violence in many parts of
the
country.

Perhaps
the
two UN monitors stationed in Hama will eventually be able to clarify which version is true.

Until
the
n, Syrians will follow
the
ir own inclinations in believing who was responsible.

One report said 13 children and 15 women were among the dead.

They said the blast was caused by government shelling or even a Scud missile attack.

The opposition Syrian National Council has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting "so that it can issue a resolution to protect civilians".

It says nearly 100 people have been killed in Hama in recent days.

The level of devastation seen would have been difficult to achieve by conventional shelling, the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says.

State television showed pictures of injured children in hospital and says that a group using the house to make bombs detonated them accidentally.

The reports cannot be independently verified owing to government restrictions on foreign media.

Meanwhile, a video has emerged which purportedly shows a man being buried alive by security forces, allegedly for sending material to TV stations.

Its authenticity could not be confirmed.

The unnamed man, who is said to be a media activist, is seen pleading for his life as earth is shovelled over his head. He then goes silent.

What appear to be members of the security forces are then heard cursing him for receiving money for sending material to Arabic satellite TV stations.

The video was said to have been leaked by sympathisers.

The UN says about 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In February, the Syrian government put the death toll at 3,838 - 2,493 civilians and 1,345 security forces personnel.

CNN) -- A Syrian opposition group says it has documented hundreds of deaths since the U.N. peace plan monitors began their work last week.

It has verified the identities of 462 people slain since April 16, when the mission started, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said Thursday. The number includes 34 children.

"Violent gunfire and bombing on Syrian cities haven't stopped," the LCC said.

The monitors report Syria is in "contravention" of its government's commitment to withdraw its troops and heavy weapons from population centers, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement released by his office.

The U.N. observers are tasked with monitoring the implementation of Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan, which calls for President Bashar al-Assad's government and the opposition to end the bloodshed, allow humanitarian groups access to the population, release detainees and start a political dialogue. Annan is the U.N. and Arab League envoy to Syria.



Report: Syrian killings after U.N. visit

Syria's deadly lies to U.N. monitors

Shelling of Syrian city intensifies

U.N. to send more monitors to Syria The U.N. Security Council recently authorized sending up to 300 monitors to Syria for 90 days. But as of Wednesday, only 13 were in Syria.

Syria's information minister said "armed terrorist groups" have committed more than 1,300 violations of a cease-fire since April 12, said the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, known as SANA. It also reported four Russians will be part of an observer advance team, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

Annan said earlier Syria's foreign minister told him that heavy weapons and troops had been withdrawn from population centers and that military operations had ended, key elements of the peace plan. But reports of shelling and fighting have been dramatic in recent days. Activists say that a military rocket attack Wednesday killed more than 70 people in the city of Hama.

"This is among the deadliest attacks, and is further proof that the Assad regime has no intention of implementing the Annan plan," said Rafif Jouejati, LCC spokeswoman.

Ban is "gravely alarmed by reports of continued violence and killing in Syria, including shelling and explosions in various residential areas as well as armed clashes," the statement said. "He condemns in the strongest terms the continued repression against the Syrian civilian population and violence from any quarter. This situation is unacceptable and must stop immediately."

The secretary-general is "deeply troubled" that weapons, military equipment and troops have not been withdrawn, his office said.

Ban "reminds all concerned parties, particularly the government of Syria, of the need to ensure that conditions for the effective operation of the United Nations military observers are put in place immediately, including a sustained cessation of armed violence."

Arab League ministers, at an emergency meeting in Cairo, called on the United Nations to immediately stop the killings and protect civilians.

Al-Assad's government, as it has done consistently, blamed terrorist groups for the deaths in Hama. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said a terrorist group was building a bomb that exploded and killed 16 people, including children.

But activists said the incident, in the Masha'a Altayar neighborhood, was a rocket attack that led to many more deaths when it caused poorly constructed buildings to collapse. Video showed people milling around the rubble. One activist said more than a dozen children were pulled from the wreckage.

The Syrian government's refusal to abide by its commitment is "precisely what we have been concerned about," said Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. "... It is further indication that the government is ready to make commitments and break them just as swiftly, and it certainly casts further doubt -- where there was already a great deal -- on the government's readiness to implement the core elements of the Annan Plan."

The number of Syrian deaths on Thursday rose to 35 people, the LCC said, with many of those deaths in Deir Ezzor, in the east. The dead include four children and two women, the group said.

"It is collective punishment because there are some activists" in that area of Deir Ezzor, said an opposition activist identified as Abu Bilal. "People are trapped in their homes, and the mosques are calling on God for help. The humanitarian situation is bad because we cannot even help our injured. We have no idea if the monitors will visit Deir Ezzor."

Terrorists set off a car bomb that killed a schoolteacher in the city of Aleppo on Thursday, according to SANA. The report said the attackers targeted "national expertise." Syrian authorities say terrorists have been targeting educators, engineers and medical personnel during the crisis.

SANA reported nine people, including army personnel, targeted by "armed terrorist groups" were laid to rest. It said 10 civilians were killed in other locations.

For 13 months, violence has raged between al-Assad's forces and the opposition in a lopsided battle that has seen thousands of civilians killed amid a number of international attempts to broker a peace deal.

The Wednesday incident prompted the opposition Syrian National Council to call for the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency session to take up the issue of protecting civilians.

The council condemned the international community for continuing to give al-Assad's government time to implement the peace place because it gives "the criminal regime more time to kill."

"The regime is committing all sorts of violations to Annan's plan and ... it has not abided by any of the plan's points," the national council said in a statement denouncing the Hama incident.

The council said it will continue to support the Free Syrian Army, the anti-regime fighter force, to protect "unarmed people," regardless of the future of Annan's plan.

CNN cannot independently verify reports of violence and deaths within Syria, as the government has restricted access by international media.

The United Nations estimates at least 9,000 people have since died in the conflict, while activist groups put the death toll at more than 11,000.

William Hague, Britain's foreign minister, had a Twitter message for al-Assad after an international tribunal found former Liberian President Charles Taylor guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes in neighboring Sierra Leone's notoriously brutal civil war.

"#CharlesTaylor: Justice has been done. Remember his victims, & remind #Assad: there is no expiry date for crimes against the innocent," Hague said.

CNN's Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, Arwa Damon, Amir Ahmed, Hamdi Alkhshali and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

An explosion in the centre of the Syrian capital Damascus has killed at least 10 people and wounded 20 others, state media say.

The reports said a "terrorist suicide bomber" caused the blast near a mosque in the Midan area, but opposition activists blamed the Syrian government.

TV showed graphic images of the scene.

The incident came after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that the government was "in contravention" of a UN and Arab League-backed peace plan.

Mr Ban demanded that Damascus complied with the peace plan brokered by envoy Kofi Annan without delay.

Syrian state TV said civilians and security force members were among the casualties in the Midan explosion, which it said happened as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers at the nearby Zain al-Abidin mosque.

Continue reading the main story
Analysis

Jim Muir

BBC News, Beirut

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Syrian state TV was quick to blame what it called "terrorists" for the attack, implying it was part of the anti-regime campaign.

But activist organisations accused the regime itself of carrying out the attack to distract attention from the repression of demonstrations after Friday prayers, and to justify the presence of the army in towns and cities in contravention of Kofi Annan's peace plan.

In the past, opposition groups, including the rebel Free Syrian Army, have strongly denied involvement in such big, indiscriminate explosions, which first started happening in Damascus in December.

Midan has been the scene of frequent anti-government protests. An explosion in the same district in January reportedly killed at least 26 people and wounded 63.

'Troubled'

Earlier on Friday, a separate explosion was reported in an industrial area of Damascus. However, it was unclear if there were casualties from that blast.

Meanwhile, activist groups said at least three people had been killed by security forces opening fire on anti-government protests across Syria on Friday.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one person had died in a village outside Damascus, another in the second city of Aleppo, and the third in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour.

The reports could not be independently verified due to government restrictions on the media.

Anti-government protests regularly take place after Friday prayers.

Mr Ban remained "deeply troubled" by the continued presence of heavy weapons and troops in population centres as reported by UN monitors, his spokesman said on Thursday evening.

The UN currently has about 15 observers in Syria monitoring a shaky ceasefire, which came into force on 12 April, and hopes to have the full advance team of 30 in place by Monday. The Security Council has approved the deployment of up to 300.

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

An estimated 9,000 people have died in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad started in March last year, according to UN figures. In February, the Syrian government put the death toll at 3,838 - 2,493 civilians and 1,345 security forces personnel.

On Friday the US expressed its "disappointment" in the Syrian government's actions since the ceasefire was agreed, and said it would increase pressure on President Bashar al-Assad.

"We intend to continue to ramp up the international pressure against the Assad regime and encourage them in the strongest possible terms to live up to the obligations and commitments that they made in the context of the Kofi Annan plan," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters aboard Air Force One.

France has said that if the peace plan fails it will press for a "Chapter Seven" resolution at the UN, which allows for action that could be backed by force.

Other Western powers have said they intend to push for an arms embargo and UN sanctions.

Russia and China, however, say they will veto any attempt to authorise military action in Syria and also resist the idea of sanctions. They have already blocked two Security Council resolutions condemning the crackdown on dissent
.

4:32am UK, Saturday April 28, 2012

Sky News team in Syria

A suicide bomber killed nine people and injured dozens including security forces and civilians outside a mosque in Damascus.
The attack was carried out as worshippers left the Zein Al-Abideen mosque in the Midan district, an area which has seen regular protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

Security officials claim a man dressed in military uniform detonated the bomb after soldiers asked him to hand over his identity card.

Syrian state media reported other attacks on security forces in the country, including three other blasts in the capital and an explosion which injured policemen in the coastal city of Tartous.

The incident comes as UN observers in Syria struggle to ensure a fragile ceasefire between Bashar al Assad and opposition groups is preserved.

Although violence against civilians in some cities has decreased opposition activists say five people were killed on Friday including a 10-year-old boy.



UN monitors in Syria are struggling to ensure a ceasefire

Sky News followed the UN team as they travelled to the city of Idlib, 300km north of the capital.

Earlier this month activists reported that 150 people in the region were killed by the Syrian military during a two-day siege.

The city was deserted. The few civilians were on the streets and those who did venture out were outnumbered by hundreds of soldiers and security forces.

A cafe owner who insisted the situation in the city was calm and thanked the army for getting rid of what he described as 'armed gangs'.

Even if the sentiment was genuine, it was difficult to ignore the group of soldiers monitoring him a few yards away.

But the UN mission claims it's making progress and, more importantly, a difference to ordinary people.

Colonel Ahmed Himmiche told Sky News: "We achieved one of our main tasks which is liaising with the main parties in order to prepare for the arrival of the 300 UN monitors that have been mandated by the United Nations Security Council… so this is a step forward."

Two observers remained in Idlib joining others in Homs, Hama and Damascus maintaining a permanent presence on the ground.

Another 15 are expected to arrive on Monday - but it's still far from the 300 demanded by the Security Council.

The fear is that won't be enough to keep this ceasefire going and no matter how imperfect, its collapse could lead to an escalation of violence across the country.

28 April 2012 Last updated at 13:40 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page


Syrian rebel gunmen in inflatable dinghies have attacked a military unit on the Mediterranean coast, with deaths on both sides, state media report.

It is thought to be the first rebel assault from the sea. Separately, Lebanon says its navy has seized weapons destined for the rebels.

Clashes between security forces and deserting troops left heavy casualties near Damascus and Aleppo, reports say.

The violence comes despite a shaky ceasefire in force since 12 April.

On Thursday UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that Syria's government was "in contravention" of a UN- and Arab League-backed peace plan.

Clashes

Saturday's violence came after the Lebanese navy said it had found and confiscated three containers full of arms and ammunition bound for the rebels.

The ship, the Lutfallah II, is reported to have begun its voyage from Libya, stopped off in Alexandria in Egypt, and then headed for the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon before it was intercepted.

About 15 UN observers are monitoring a shaky ceasefire in Syria
The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says it is believed the consignment was destined for the rebels in Syria, with whom the new Libyan regime strongly sympathises.

Tripoli in north Lebanon is a hotbed of support for the Syrian opposition, and the authorities in Damascus have frequently complained about arms being smuggled from the areas into the country, our correspondent says.

The dinghy attack reportedly took place further north, about 30km (19 miles) from the border with Turkey.

Syria's official news agency Sana said a military unit had foiled a "terrorist attempt" to infiltrate the country overnight by boat in Latakia province.

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

Profile: Syrian city of Hama

"An official source told a Sana reporter that members of the military unit clashed with the terrorists who were boarding inflatable boats, forcing them to flee," the agency said.

"The source stated that the clash led to the martyrdom and injuries of a number of [members of the] military unit." Sana said it was not clear how many rebels had been killed "as they attacked the military unit at night".

The fighting north of Damascus broke out after a group of soldiers defected to the rebels and were pursued by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad into the village of Bakha, activists said.

One account said four rebels and six civilians had been killed, but the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said all those who died were army defectors.

Similar clashes were reported in the village of Burj al-Salaam near one of the presidential palaces close to the coastal city of Latakia, after a group of soldiers deserted there.

None of violence could be independently verified because of government restrictions on the media.

More observers

The UN currently has about 15 observers in Syria monitoring a shaky ceasefire, which came into force on 12 April, and hopes to have the full advance team of 30 in place by Monday.

Violence has been continuing despite the truce.

On Friday an explosion in the centre of the Damascus killed at least 10 people and wounded 20 others, state media said. Activist organisations accused the regime itself of carrying out the attack.

Mr Ban has demanded that Damascus comply with the peace plan brokered by international peace envoy Kofi Annan without delay.

The Security Council has approved the deployment of up to 300 monitors. Norwegian Maj Gen Robert Mood, who is to lead the team, was heading to Damascus on Saturday, reports said.

Our correspondent says he must be wondering how much of a ceasefire there is left for his team to monitor.

CNN)-- The embattled Syrian regime said it faced challenges from land and sea on Saturday as security forces beat back infiltrators, Lebanese soldiers seized smuggled arms and more clashes flared -- another series of blows to a teetering U.N-backed peace plan.

Lebanese military forces seized weapons bound for Syrian rebels from Libya, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), reported Saturday.

The army intercepted a ship in the Mediterranean Sea Friday and found heavy and light weapons aboard Saturday, Lebanon's National News Agency said. Ten crew members and the vessel's agent were arrested after the inspection in Salaata port, north of Beirut, the Lebanese outlet said.

Military forces near the coastal city of Latakia foiled "terrorists" attempting to infiltrate the city by sea, SANA said. Fighting led to the deaths and injuries, but the precise number of casualties was not available.

SANA reported the killings of three security forces and two "terrorists" during clashes in Aleppo province. It also said an "armed terrorist" group in a provincial village in Idlib killed two law enforcement members.

Opposition activists said brazen military offensives unfolded across the country. At least 14 people were killed on Saturday across the country, said the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, an opposition activist group.

U.N. and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan forged a peace plan that calls for President Bashar al-Assad's government and the opposition to cease fire, allow humanitarian groups access to the population, release detainees and start a political dialogue.

But opposition groups and Western governments said Syria has not withdrawn its troops and heavy weapons from population centers, as the government agreed to do as part of the plan, and has continued aggressive acts. Syria blames continued violence on terrorist groups.

"The plan as a whole is failing thus far," State Department Victoria Nuland said on Friday. "Obviously, we can all see that it is the Assad regime that is failing to meet its obligations under the six-point plan."

Even though the cease-fire appears to be unraveling, the United Nations is continuing its efforts to field a team to monitor the peace plan with an aim toward forging stability and ending 13 months of bloodshed.

As of Friday, 13 monitors were in the country of 22 million people. An additional 15 are scheduled to arrive this weekend, and a total of 300 are slated to arrive in the coming month. The United States is not providing monitors, but is helping with funding and logistics.

Syrian activists have accused the United Nations of failing to move quickly to get its monitors into the country, but Nuland said preparations take time.

"You have to take somebody who has experience and training in monitoring, understands U.N. standards, understands their obligations in terms of human rights."

The United Nations has to negotiate and sign contracts with governments sending personnel, which in some cases require parliamentary approval, Nuland said. Then there's the physical transport of the personnel.

Syria has been engulfed in violence since March 2011, when the government started started cracking down on demonstrators who were peacefully protesting al-Assad's regime. The president's family has ruled Syria for 42 years. Some opposition members have since taken up arms against the regime forces.

The United Nations estimates at least 9,000 people have died in the conflict, while opposition activist groups put the death toll at more than 11,000.

CNN cannot independently verify reports of violence and deaths within Syria, as the government has restricted access by most of the international media

Apr 29, 10:06 AM EDT


Head of UN mission in Syria urges halt to violence








BEIRUT (AP) -- The head of the U.N. observer mission in Syria on Sunday called on President Bashar Assad and the country's opposition to stop fighting and allow a tenuous cease-fire to take hold.

Maj. Gen. Robert Mood spoke after arriving in the Syrian capital Damascus to take charge of an advance team of 16 U.N. monitors trying to salvage an international peace plan to end the country's 13-month-old crisis. Under the plan, a cease-fire is supposed to lead to talks between Assad and the opposition on a political solution to a conflict that has killed more than 9,000 people.

Mood told reporters that the 300 observers the U.N. has authorized for the mission "cannot solve all the problems" in Syria, and asked for cooperation from forces loyal to Assad as well as rebels seeking to end his rule.

"We want to have combined efforts focusing on the welfare of the Syrian people," he said. "True cessation of violence in all its forms."

The cease-fire began unraveling almost as soon as it went into effect April 12. The regime has kept up its attacks on opposition strongholds, while rebel fighters have continued to ambush government security forces. Defying a major truce provision, the Syrian military has failed to withdraw tanks and soldiers from the streets.

Despite the violence, the truce still enjoys the support of the international community, largely because it views the plan as the last chance to prevent the country from falling into civil war - in part because it does not want to intervene militarily.

Most analysts, however, say the plan has little chance of succeeding, though it could temporarily bring down the level of daily violence.

That has largely been the case in Homs, Syria's third largest city, which has emerged as the heart of the uprising. Regime forces pounded parts of Homs for months, leaving large swaths of the city in ruins, before two U.N. monitors moved into an upscale hotel there last week.

Since then, the level of violence has dropped, although gunbattles still frequently break out. An amateur video posted online Saturday showed the observers walking through a heavily damaged neighborhood, where residents collected a body laying in the street and put it in the back of a pickup truck.

Mood, a Norwegian, was appointed head of the observer mission by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon. One hundred monitors should be in the country by mid-May, said mission spokesman Neeraj Singh. It is unclear when or if the full contingent of 300 monitors authorized by the U.N. will deploy to Syria.

Mood brings a wealth of Middle East experience to the job, including stints with U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon in 1989-1990 and as the head of a U.N. peacekeeping mission known as UNTSO from 2009 to 2011. That mission was the U.N's first-ever peacekeeping operation and began after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war to monitor a cease-fire. It now monitors cease-fires around the Middle East.

The Syrian state news agency said observers visited the embattled Homs neighborhood of Khaldiyeh on Sunday, but provided no further information.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government snipers shot dead two people in the neighborhood of Joret al-Shayah, which borders Khaldiyeh.

The group, which relies on a network of activist in Syria, also said one civilian was killed and four wounded in random gunfire by security forces in the village of al-Saliha in the central Hama province.

Ban has blamed the regime for widespread violations of the truce - prompting Syria to fire back that his comments were "outrageous" and accuse him of bias.

The spat has further stoked concerns among the Syrian opposition and its Western supporters that Assad is merely playing for time to avoid compliance with a plan that - if fully implemented - would likely sweep him out of office.

---

Associated Press writer Albert Aji contributed reporting from Damascus, Syria.

© 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.

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Monitoring chief Major General Robert Mood in Damascus
7:34am UK, Monday April 30, 2012

Tim Marshall, in Damascus

Two bombs have exploded in the Syrian city of Idlib as the UN continues to step up its monitoring mission across the country.
State television said the blasts occurred on Monday morning in two separate areas of Idlib, near the Turkish border, and blamed the attacks on "terrorists".

Meanwhile, UN mission head Major General Robert Mood has arrived in Damascus and has called on President Bashar Assad and the country's opposition to stop fighting.


He is taking charge of an advance team of 16 UN monitors who are trying to salvage an international peace plan, with observer levels set to rise to 300 in total.


But clashes between government forces and armed opposition groups are becoming more frequent, with further violence in Damascus.


Sky News visited the capital's largest military hospital just 15 minutes outside the city centre. It was filled with injured troops. Three soldiers we saw had only been brought in a few hours earlier.




Syrian protesters at an anti-regime demonstration in Atareb

The bus they were travelling in near Damascus had been ambushed and raked with gunfire.

In a courtyard at the back of the building, relatives of dead soldiers gathered for military funerals.

Some of the dead were victims of a bomb blast in Damascus that killed 10 people and injured dozens on Friday.


But there were others from different incidents, among them 22-year-old Mahmoud Khalil Azzadin.

He was killed in Douma, a suburb of the capital that has seen fierce fighting between the Syrian army and anti-government forces.


We were told Mahmoud joined the army after his two brothers were killed for refusing to join protests against the regime but there is no way of verifying the claim.


His father preferred not to speak to us on camera, saying he feared reprisals.




The director of the hospital told Sky News that 10 to 15 dead soldiers were arriving every day and the same number were being treated for injuries sustained in the fighting.


These figures only include incidents in the capital and southern Syria.


The government says 2,600 security personnel have died since the uprising began over a year ago. It is likely the figure will rise in the coming weeks as violence intensifies.


Inside the military hospital, families queued for information about injured soldiers.


We spoke to Abu Ala'a, an army general who had his left leg amputated after a bomb blast hit his military vehicle in the countryside near the capital.




He has no doubt who is responsible for the attack, telling us that "armed terrorist gangs" scouted his location for days before carrying out the bombing.


He also blames Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey for supporting opposition groups. It is a sentiment you will hear often from government supporters.


There will be many more injured and dead arriving at the hospital.


The only way to reduce the rate will be if the UN can accelerate the number of monitors arriving to try and create something approaching a ceasefire.

There are going to be so many more of these, and their equivalents on the other side. The only hope is that the UN monitors can stand between them.

It looks distant.

A number of people have been killed in blasts in the north-western Syrian city of Idlib, activists and state TV say.

TV reports said two suicide bombings had killed eight people, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 20 had died in attacks targeting the security forces.

The UN is currently deploying monitors to the country to oversee a fragile peace plan.

Thirty will be in place soon but the UN warns it will need many more.

UN mission's plea

The Observatory said the Idlib bombs had exploded next to the Air Force Intelligence headquarters and the Military Intelligence building, with most of the casualties security personnel.

State TV said "two terrorist suicide bombs" in Hananu Square on Carlton Street had killed eight and wounded dozens - both civilians and security personnel.

Continue reading the main story
Maj Gen Robert Mood
2009-11 Head of mission supervising the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria, and parts of Lebanon
From 2005 Chief of Staff of the Norwegian army
1989 and 1990 Served with the UN in Lebanon and Kosovo
Gained Masters of Military Studies from the United States Marine Corps University
Source: United Nations

It showed scenes of devastation, with big buildings partially collapsed, and streets full of rubble and wrecked vehicles. It also showed pools of blood left behind by some of the casualties. The blasts threw debris hundreds of metres.

One activist told Associated Press news agency the blast sites were several hundred metres apart and the bombs went off within five minutes of each other shortly after daybreak.

The Observatory also said there had been a powerful blast near the capital Damascus, causing casualties, but this has not been independently confirmed.

State TV also said there had been a rocket-propelled grenade attack by three men on the Syrian Central Bank in Damascus overnight, but again this has not been verified.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says Idlib has been known for its defiance to the government, but it has been relatively calm in recent days because there have been two UN monitors stationed there.

Activists said that one of Monday's blasts was only about 200m from the monitors' hotel, with some reports saying it sustained damage.

The state-run Sana news agency said the monitors later toured the site of the bombings.

The head of the UN observer mission to Syria, Maj Gen Robert Mood, has arrived in Syria and will be followed by another 30 observers in the coming days, doubling the size of the mission.

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

Profile: Syrian city of Hama

The UN has approved up to 300 observers under a peace plan brokered by UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

However, Gen Mood warned that "10 unarmed observers, 30 unarmed observers, 300 unarmed observers, even 1,000 unarmed observers cannot solve all the problems".

He said: "To achieve the success of Kofi Annan's six-point plan, I call on all to stop the violence and to help us on a continued cessation of armed violence in all its forms."

At least 500 people have died since the ceasefire was agreed on 12 April, activists say.

The government and opposition have blamed each other for the violence.

The Local Coordination Committees said the attacks were government "tricks" that "no longer fool anyone".

It said: "The regime has resorted to these escalations every time there is political movement at the Arab, regional or international level to find a political solution."

On Thursday UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that Syrian's government was "in contravention" of the UN and Arab League peace plan, and demanded that Damascus comply with its terms without delay.

Tim Marshall
April 29, 2012 9:54 PM

Recommend post (5)
The Syrian Army is losing increasingly higher numbers of men as the fighting between Government forces and armed opposition groups becomes more frequent with more violence in Damascus.

We visited the capital’s largest military hospital just 15 minutes outside the city centre. It was filled with injured troops. Three soldiers we saw had been brought in only a few hours earlier. The bus they were travelling in near Damascus had been ambushed and raked with gunfire.

In a courtyard at the back of the building relatives of dead soldiers gathered for military funerals. Some of the dead were victims of a bomb blast in Damascus that killed 10 people and injured dozens on Friday.

But there were others from different incidents; among them 22-year-old Mahmoud Khalil Azzadin. He was killed in Douma, a suburb of the capital that has seen fierce fighting between the Syrian army and anti-government forces.

We’re told Mahmoud joined the army after his two brothers were killed for refusing to join protests against the regime but there’s no way of verifying the claim. His father preferred not to speak to us on camera saying he feared reprisals.

The director of the hospital told Sky News that between 10 and 15 dead soldiers were arriving every day and the same number was being treated for injuries sustained in the fighting. These figures include only incidents in the capital and southern Syria.

The Government says 2,600 security personnel have died since the uprising began over a year ago. It’s likely the figure will rise in the coming weeks as violence intensifies.

Inside the military hospital families queued for information about injured soldiers. We spoke to Abu Ala’a, an army general who had his left leg amputated after a bomb blast hit his military vehicle in the countryside near Damascus.

He has no doubt who’s responsible for the attack, telling us that "armed terrorist gangs" scouted his location for days before carrying out the bombing.

He also blames Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey for supporting opposition groups. It’s a sentiment you’ll hear often from government supporters.

There will be many more injured and dead arriving at the hospital. The only way to reduce the rate will be if the UN can accelerate the number of monitors arriving to try and create something approaching a cease


There's going to be so many more of these, and their equivalents on the other side. The only hope is that the UN monitors can stand between them. It looks distant.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


5:38am UK, Tuesday May 01, 2012

Tim Marshall, foreign affairs editor, in Homs

Despite heavy losses in the Bab Amr district of Homs the Free Syrian Army (FSA) still controls large areas of the city.
The FSA stronghold is the Khaldia district but it manages to keep the Syrian army out of other quarters as well.


The Government is not respecting any of Kofi Annan's six points. The FSA is abiding by the plan and we are only here to protect the people.

FSA commander in Homs, Abdul Razzack Tlas
The area is devastated. High-rise buildings have collapsed, their floors pancaked one on top of the other.

Shops and houses have also been destroyed by artillery fire. Rubble is strewn everywhere, and there appears not be a single building which is not in some way damaged.

There are still hundreds of civilians living in Khaldia among the FSA fighters who say they are there to protect them.



Shelling shatters the northern city of Homs

The Syrian government calls the FSA terrorists and insists it needs to push them out of Homs in order to liberate the city.

The sound of gunfire is constant. The clatter of small arms fire mingles with that of heavy machine guns and the occasional explosion.

To get from one district to another the locals use a variety of routes including clambering through the wreckage of peoples' houses, whilst avoiding gun fire.

In many streets, sheets of tarpaulin hang from one side to the other to prevent army snipers from having a clear line of sight into Khaldia.

In some smaller streets, which the snipers can see clearly, people break into a sprint to cross.

The Homs National Hospital is now in the hands of the FSA.

They took it from government forces a few weeks ago after an assault through the streets involving dozens of fighters attacking from two directions.

They say they lost several men in the attack but it has dislodged the government troops from what was a strategically important vantage point.



FSA commander in Homs, Abdul Razzack Tlas

The FSA commander in Homs, Abdul Razzack Tlas, told Sky News the Government responded by shelling the hospital.

It is so badly damaged that it can never be used as a hospital again without being completely rebuilt.

The remains of 80 bodies, which had been lying in a hot makeshift morgue for months, have only just been removed.

The stench of death around the hospital remains overwhelming. Even hardened fighters were covering their faces with cloth and retching at the smell.

Abdul Razzack Tlas claimed his men are heeding the UN ceasefire but said: "The government is not respecting any of Kofi Annan's six points. The FSA is abiding by the plan and we are only here to protect the people."

The government says the opposite and that it only responds to acts of violence by "armed terrorist gangs". The UN has said that neither side is completely abiding by the ceasefire.

1 May 2012 Last updated at 11:35 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page


Twenty-three people have been killed in renewed violence in Syria on Tuesday, activists say.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says nine members of one family, including four women and two children, were among 11 people killed in a mortar attack on a village in Idlib province.

Actvists also report 12 soldiers were killed near their base in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor.

An advance party of 16 UN monitors has begun work in the country.

This is due to be expanded to 100 by mid-May. Eventually as many as 300 international observers are expected to be deployed.

A cease-fire agreement which came into force on 12 April has helped reduce violence, but fighting is continuing across the country.

'Calming effect'

Maj Gen Robert Mood , who's in Syria leading the UN observer mission, told the BBC World Service on Tuesday that his team were already having "a calming effect".

Maj Gen Robert Mood has said his UN observer cannot bring peace to Syria on their own
He said the team had received a "traditionally warm welcome" by Syrian civilians, and was also "respected" by the Syrian government.

And he rejected criticism of the mission, particularly the small size of the team, and the fact that the observers are unarmed.

"There are not any other options on the table at the moment," he said.

But he acknowledged that the monitors would not be able to solve Syria's problems on their own.

"The ceasefire violations and terrorist attacks yesterday are very worrying," he said.

The observer mission is part of a plan by the UN's special envoy Kofi Annan to broker negotiations between President Bashar al-Assad and his opponents.