French journalist killed in Syria

11 January 2012 Last updated at 16:47 ET

Gilles Jacquier covered the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo

French TV reporter Gilles Jacquier has been killed in the Syrian city of Homs, the first Western journalist to die in the country's current unrest.

He was on a government-authorised trip to the city, the France 2 channel said.

Syrian TV said Jacquier was among eight killed. A colleague said that minutes earlier they had interviewed some people at a pro-government gathering.

Opposition groups say 24 people died around the country on Wednesday, including 10 in Homs.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has called for full clarification of what happened.

"We vigorously condemn this odious act," he said in a statement.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said an investigation was needed.

"The Syrian authorities have a responsibility to guarantee the safety of journalists in their country," she said.

More than 5,000 people have been killed since the unrest began last March, the UN says. The government says 2,000 security personnel have died combating "armed gangs and terrorists".

A journalist on the same trip described hearing an explosion

It is impossible to verify the claims as access for foreign journalists has been severely restricted.

Observers arrived in Syria in December to monitor an Arab League peace plan, but the killing has continued.

The league said on Wednesday it was delaying sending more monitors after an attack on an observer team earlier in the week, Reuters news agency reported.

Eleven observers were slightly injured in the attack, in the port city of Latakia.

Meanwhile at a joint news conference US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani of Qatar, a key member of the Arab League, expressed doubts about the mission.

"I could not see up until now a successful mission, frankly speaking," Mr al-Thani said.

'Complete chaos'

Jacquier, 43, was part of a group of 15 foreign journalists being shown around a part of Homs and speaking to locals.

One of his colleagues said they were escorted by soldiers and police, and were in a part of the flashpoint city where street life was relatively normal with some shops open.

A grenade fell close to them minutes after they had spoken to some young people and they fled into a nearby building, he told the BBC. More grenades hit the building causing casualties.

"There was smoke everywhere, people started screaming and yelling. There was complete chaos," he said.

Jacquier was behind him when he went into the building, but he saw him lying dead a few minutes later, he added.

At least one other European journalist was wounded, reports say. Dutch officials and media said a Dutch journalist was hurt.

The area of the attack is inhabited by members of the Alawite sect and therefore considered to be mainly pro-government. No opposition supporters have given an account of the incident.

Jacquier is described as a veteran award-winning journalist who covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, and between Israel and the Palestinians.

His mission in Syria was to make a documentary film on the protests.

The UN Security Council has been told that an estimated 400 people had been killed in Syria since the Arab League monitors arrived in late December - an average of almost 40 deaths a day.

Opposition group the Local Co-ordination Committees said 24 people died in violence on Wednesday - 10 in Homs, nine in Hama, two each in Aleppo and Idlib and one in Latakia.

The security situation led the US state department to announce it had further reduced numbers of staff at its embassy in Damascus, after ordering family members to leave in October.

Meanwhile, President Bashar al-Assad made a surprise appearance at an open air rally by thousands of his supporters in Damascus.

Mr Assad said he wanted to show his love for the Syrian people.

His wife, Asmaa, and his children were also briefly shown in the live broadcast. There had been speculation that they might have have left Syria.

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Arab League to hold Syria meeting

8 January 2012 Last updated at 06:53 ET

The Syrian government has continued its crackdown on protesters despite action by the Arab League

Foreign ministers from the Arab League are due to discuss in Cairo the progress of their mission in Syria and to discuss whether to ask for UN help.

An observer mission sent by the League to assess a peace plan has been criticised as toothless, as bloodshed continues despite its presence.

An unconfirmed report says that 11 Syrian soldiers died in fighting in Deraa province on Sunday.

Other clashes between soldiers and army deserters were said to be under way.

Nearly 100 people are said to have been killed in three days alone - although the reports are difficult to verify with most foreign media barred from working in Syria

• According to the Syrian opposition Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), at least 27 people died around the country on Saturday - eight in Homs, 13 in Idlib, five in the suburbs of Damascus and one in Hama

• Local opposition groups said 35 people had been killed in anti-government protests after Friday prayers

• At least 26 people died in a bomb attack in Damascus on Friday, some of them members of the security forces

The UN says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began 10 months ago.

The Arab League mission has been heavily criticised by the Syrian opposition for failing to stop, or even clearly condemn, the ongoing violence, the BBC's Jon Leyne reports from Cairo.

But senior officials from the League have already said that there is no question of the mission being withdrawn and, instead, there is talk of strengthening it, our correspondent says.

'Machine-gun exchanges'

The Arab League observers have been in Syria since late December to monitor compliance with a peace plan under which the government promised to withdraw the military from the streets and cease its use of force against civilians.

The ministers meeting in Cairo are expected to examine a proposal by Qatar for UN human rights experts to be invited to assist their work, in order to judge whether the Syrian authorities are honouring their pledge.

They will also look at how the observers can operate more independently of Syrian authorities. Currently they are required to be escorted by members of the Syrian security officials.

Critics say Mr Assad is using the monitors' presence as a political cover and that attacks continue.

According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 11 soldiers were killed and at least 20 injured in fighting with deserters in Deraa.

A further nine defected to the deserters' side, it added, in a report which could not be independently verified.

Heavy machine-gun exchanges between troops and deserters were also reported in the Deraa town of Dael, with no immediate reports of casualties.

In another development, a Russian naval flotilla aircraft led by an aircraft carrier docked in the Syrian port of Tartus.

The carrier group is due to spend six days in Tartus, where Russia has a naval base dating back to Soviet times.

Continue Reading... Labels: League, meeting, Syria

Syria government buries bomb dead

7 January 2012 Last updated at 12:11 ET

BBC's Lina Sinjab: "The situation in Damascus is very concerning - people are fearing more attacks"

Thousands of people have taken part in a massive government-organised funeral ceremony for victims of Friday's bomb attack in the capital Damascus.

At least 26 people died in the attack, some of them from the security forces.

The government has vowed to "strike back with an iron fist" against the perpetrators, but opponents accuse the authorities of staging the attack.

Meanwhile at least 17 people died in clashes across Syria, the opposition says, as Arab League monitors visit.

They are currently in the country to assess the progress of a regional peace plan.

Opposition activists have urged Syrians to take to the streets in mass protests ahead of an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Sunday which will debate the initial findings of the observer mission.

They say the government crackdown has continued, with scores of people killed since the monitors arrived.

The UN says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began 10 months ago.

Pictures and flags

The funerals were held at a mosque in the district of Midan, where the attack took place. It is usually a hotbed of protests against the government.

The coffins were brought in ambulances through streets lined with mourners.

But the ceremony and procession were clearly organised by the authorities, with many participants carrying pictures of President Bashar al-Assad or national flags, which were also used to cover the coffins.

Some of those taking part were also heard chanting pro-government slogans, like "The people want Bashar al-Assad!" and "One, one, one, the Syrian people are one!".

The Damascus blast happened at a busy junction in the Midan district of Damascus. State TV showed the shattered blood-stained windows of what appeared to be a bus carrying policemen.

Interior Minister Ibrahim al-Shaar blamed the attack on a suicide bomber, who he said had "detonated himself with the aim of killing the largest number of people".

"We will strike back with an iron fist at anyone tempted to tamper with the security of the country or its citizens," he said.

The country's main opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council (SNC) said the attacks had been carried out by Mr Assad's government to discredit its critics.

"It is a continuation of the regime's dirty game as it tries to divert attention from massive protests," said spokesman Omar Idlibi.

The US condemned the attack, saying violence was not "the right answer to the problems in Syria".

Two weeks ago 44 people died in similar blasts also blamed on terrorists but which opposition groups accused the government of staging.

Protest call

According to the Syrian opposition Local Co-ordination Committees 17 people died throughout the country in continuing violence on Saturday - seven in Homs, six in Idlib and four in Harasta on the outskirts of Damascus.

Local opposition groups said 35 had been killed on Friday, when anti-government protests traditionally follow Friday prayers. None of these numbers can be verified.

The Arab League observers have been in Syria since late December to monitor compliance with a peace plan under which the government promised to withdraw the military from the streets and cease its use of force against civilians.

But critics say Mr Assad is using their presence as a political cover and that attacks continue.

Continue Reading... Labels: buries, government, Syria

Arab call to end Syria shooting

2 January 2012 Last updated at 11:51 ET

Arab League secretary general, Nabil al-Arabi: "We hope to see an end to all these violent activities"

The Arab League secretary general has called for an end to shootings in Syria, warning snipers remain a threat.

Nabil al-Arabi said "all signs of military presence" had left the cities, with tanks and artillery removed.

Some 60 Arab League monitors are checking compliance with a peace plan, but correspondents say protesters are frustrated they cannot stop killings.

The UN says more than 5,000 people have been killed in a crackdown on anti-government protests since March.

There has been no let-up in violence, and activists say at least 390 people have been killed since the observers arrived last week.

Activist group the Local Co-ordination Committees said 20 people were killed on Monday, 11 of them in the flashpoint city of Homs.

Meanwhile in northern Idlib province, mutinous troops killed, wounded or captured a number of government soldiers in attacks on three checkpoints, London-based opposition group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

There has also been criticism of the head of the monitoring team, Sudanese Gen Mustafa al-Dabi - who is regarded by some as biased towards the Syrian government.

And on Sunday, the Arab Parliament, an advisory body to the league, said the observers should be withdrawn because of the continuing violence.

Rooftop snipers

At a news conference at the league's headquarters in Cairo, Mr Arabi said the mission needed more time to complete its work.

The league would then report on the monitors' activities and decide if more work was needed, he added.

He said the military had withdrawn heavy weapons from residential areas and was on the outskirts of cities, but the violence had not ended.

"All signs of military presence have been withdrawn from the cities; tanks and cannons have been removed ... and are now away from residential areas," he said.

"The observer mission was able to take food supplies into some cities, specially Homs. It also managed to bring out corpses.

"I have spoken with the head of mission and yes, shots are still being fired and there are still snipers in action. We want all these signs of violence to disappear."

Protesters are frustrated with the Arab League's efforts

He added that it was difficult to tell who was firing on whom.

Mr Arabi added that the government had released about 3,500 prisoners since the mission arrived.

The Arab League had asked the opposition to provide it with a list of those they think are still in custody, he said.

The removal of heavy weaponry and freeing of political prisoners are two key points of the Arab League plan, and this will enable the Syrian government to say it is in compliance, says the BBC's Jon Donnison.

The government of President Bashar al-Assad says it is fighting armed groups and that 2,000 security forces personnel have died.

Casualty figures and other information are hard to verify as most foreign media are barred from reporting freely in Syria.

Continue Reading... Labels: shooting, Syria

League dispute over Syria snipers

31 December 2011 Last updated at 14:25 ET

Footage posted online appears to show an observer voicing concerns

Arab League observers in Syria have given apparently conflicting accounts of an incident said to have involved snipers in the restive city of Deraa.

Footage posted online appears to show one official saying he had seen government snipers on rooftops and calling for them to be withdrawn.

However in a BBC interview, the chief of the Arab League mission later denied that the official had seen the snipers.

Violence in Syria has continued unabated despite the monitors' mission.

The latest footage posted on the internet cannot be verified, but it shows what appears to be an Arab League observer complaining about snipers shooting at demonstrators in Deraa.

The man is filmed telling protesters: "You're telling me there are snipers? You don't have to tell me, I saw them with my own eyes."

He says the observers' concerns would be conveyed to the Arab League, and that if the snipers were not removed within 24 hours, action would be taken.

In a separate report, the German news agency DPA also quoted a source close to the mission saying observers had also seen snipers in Douma, a suburb of the capital Damascus.

However the head of the Arab League mission, Gen Mustafa al-Dabi, later contradicted these accounts. He told the BBC's Newshour programme that the official seen in the video was making a hypothetical remark.

"This man said that if he saw - by his own eyes - those snipers he will report immediately," Gen Dabi said. "But he didn't see [snipers]."

Correspondent say the statement will add to protesters' allegations that Gen Dabi - who is Sudanese - is biased towards the Syrian government.

After a visit to the restive northern city of Homs on Thursday, he told Reuters news agency that "some places looked a bit of a mess but there was nothing frightening".

Gen Dabi has held a number of senior Sudanese military and government posts, including in the troubled Darfur region.

Frustration

Despite the comments reportedly made by the monitor in Deraa in the video, he is berated by protesters for not doing enough.

The BBC's Jon Donnison in Beirut says that with the Arab League mission now in its fifth day, many demonstrators are becoming frustrated at the league's inability to stop the violence.

About 60 monitors from the Arab League are in Syria to verify the implementation of a peace plan, which demands an end to all violence, the withdrawal of troops from the streets and the release of political prisoners.

Although some tanks have reportedly pulled back, snipers have been visible during demonstrations and rallies.

According to the Local Co-ordination Committees, a network of anti-government groups inside Syria, at least three people were killed by security forces on Saturday - one each in Damascus, Homs, and Bokamal in the east.

At least 35 people were killed on Friday, activists say, as security forces opened fire to stop protesters holding rallies in flashpoint cities like Hama, Deraa and Homs, all of whom were being visited by monitors.

Opposition agreement

The UN says more than 5,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March. The government says 2,000 security forces personnel have died.

Activists estimate that more than 150 people have been killed since monitors arrived in the country on Monday.

Casualty figures and other information are hard to verify as most foreign media are barred from reporting freely in Syria.

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition groups have signed a draft agreement which charts a democratic transition should President Bashar al-Assad fall.

Analysts say the move is a serious attempt by a fractured opposition to unite against the Syrian authorities.

Representatives from the two main opposition groups, the Syrian National Council and the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria (NCB), say the draft agreement was signed in Cairo on Friday night.

Continue Reading... Labels: dispute, League, snipers, Syria

Mass Syria rallies prompt clashes

30 December 2011 Last updated at 09:51 ET

Activist Omar al-Khani says Syrian forces attacked protesters in front of the observers

Syrian security forces have reportedly clashed with protesters, leaving at least 10 dead, as tens of thousands took to the streets across the country.

Activists said several people were injured when troops opened fire to disperse a demonstration in Douma, a suburb of the capital, Damascus.

At least five were killed in Deraa and another five in Hama, they added.

The opposition called on people to join rallies to show Arab League monitors the scale of anti-government anger.

The monitors are visiting the country to verify the government's implementation of a peace initiative, which demands an end to all violence, troops pulled off the streets and political prisoners freed.

Up to 40 protesters were reportedly killed on Thursday while awaiting visits from monitors, who fanned out across the country for the first time.

The UN says more than 5,000 have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March. The government says it is fighting "terrorist gangs" and 2,000 security forces personnel have died.

Casualty figures and other information are hard to verify as most foreign media are barred from Syria.

'Nail bombs'

Correspondents say the presence of the monitors has emboldened the protesters.

Following Friday prayers, there were mass rallies in several suburbs of Damascus, the restive central cities of Homs and Hama, and the southern city of Deraa, where the uprising began.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said as many as 250,000 people had taken to the streets in the north-western province of Idlib.

"This Friday is different from any other Friday. It is a transformative step. People are eager to reach the monitors and tell them about their suffering," Abu Hisham, an activist in Hama, told the Reuters news agency.

Activists published photos purportedly showing a mass protest in the city of Hama

Footage of Homs broadcast by al-Jazeera TV showed a huge crowd dancing and shouting: "Revolution, revolution Syria, revolution of glory and freedom Syria."

But a resident of central Damascus, Ram, told the BBC that heavily-armed security forces had been deployed outside his local mosque to intimidate protesters.

"They were daring people. It's the first time that they were showing their guns showing their weapons outside," he said. "So they were telling people: 'Once you just say the word, we will shoot you.'"

In the suburb of Douma, a protest by an estimated 70,000 people was broken up by troops, who fired live rounds and tear gas, activists said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 20 protesters were hurt when "nail bombs" were detonated when they approached the town hall, where Arab League monitors were believed to be based.

The Observatory also said security forces opened fire on demonstrations in Hama and Deraa, killing at least five people in each city.

Another activist group, the Local Co-ordination Committees, said the nationwide death toll on Friday was 32, with nine killed in Hama, six in Deraa, six in Idlib, and four in Tal Kalakh, near the border with Lebanon.

The bodies of five members of the same family were found in the Deir Baalbah area of Homs, a day after they were arrested, it added.

'Barrier of fear broken'

The Arab League observer mission has faced criticism for being led by Sudan's Gen Mustafa al-Dabi, who Amnesty International has accused of carrying out human rights violations in his own country.

But the League says Gen Dabi has full support, and the US has urged detractors to allow the team to finish its work.

Russia's foreign ministry says the first comments from the observers showed the situation in Syria was "reassuring".

The comments came in an interview Gen Dabi gave on Thursday after a visit to Homs.

"Some places looked a bit of a mess but there was nothing frightening," he told Reuters.

But the Local Coordination Committees, a Syrian activist group that documents and organises protests, said that 130 people had been killed since the monitors arrived in the country earlier this week.

The anti-government Free Syrian Army says it has requested a meeting with the observers but received no response.

"We haven't been given any of the [telephone] numbers for the monitors, which we have requested. No one has contacted us either," said Col Riad al-Asaad, who heads a force claiming to be 10,000-strong, many of whom defected from the Syrian army during the uprising.

The rebel commander told Reuters his forces had been ordered to stop all attacks on government troops since the arrival of the observers in the country.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the Arab League's initiative was "the only ray of light" for Syrians.

"The presence of the observers in Homs broke the barrier of fear," he told AFP.

Despite the presence of the Arab monitors - who are being escorted around the country by state security officials - there has been little let-up in the ferocity of the response to protests, correspondents say.

The US State Department and UK foreign office have expressed concern about the continuing violence.

Are you in Syria? Do you have friends or family in Syria? What do you think of the visit by the Arab League monitors? Send us your comments and experiences.

Continue Reading... Labels: clashes, prompt, rallies, Syria

Syria observers visit more cities

29 December 2011 Last updated at 07:51 ET

Anti-government protests continue across Syria despite the crackdown

Arab League monitors are visiting three more troubled Syrian cities to check if government forces are complying with a peace plan.

The observers, split into teams of about 10, travelled to Hama, Idlib and Deraa, where anti-government protesters continue to clash with security forces.

Unconfirmed reports say violence has broken out in the Damascus suburb of Douma, also being visited by monitors.

The observers earlier visited Homs - a focal point of the unrest.

The team's leader caused controversy by saying he had seen "nothing frightening" on his visit there.

Sudanese General Mustafa al-Dabi later said he needed more time to make an assessment of the city.

Tear gas

During their visit to Homs, the observers were mobbed by anti-government protesters demanding protection.

Correspondents say they are likely to encounter similar scenes on Thursday when they visit Deraa, Hama and Idlib on the third day of their mission.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP agency that at least two protesters had been shot dead in Douma "as Arab observers arrived at the city hall".

Protesters in Hama - north of Homs - have tried for two days to stage demonstrations in the city centre, only to be dispersed by security forces firing tear gas and live ammunition, reports say.

An activist there, Manhal Abo Baker, told the BBC's World Today programme that it was almost impossible to speak to the observers without the authorities knowing.

"We can't communicate with the inspectors. The inspectors are watched all the time by the regime thugs and the shabiha (militia)," he said.

"If they saw me and saw that I was talking to them... they would run after me and if I was caught I would be dead for sure."

Another activist, Abu Hisham, said people were going down into the streets of Hama to await the delegation, Reuters reported.

Security was heavy and marksmen were seen on rooftops, witnesses said.

Violence is also reported to be continuing in Idlib. In Deraa on Tuesday, rebels shot at an army convoy killing four soldiers.

Although the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began with peaceful demonstrations, many army deserters and civilians have since taken up arms against the government.

The BBC's Jim Muir, in neighbouring Lebanon, says observers are coming under criticism from activists for not being outspoken enough and for being dependent on the government for transport and security.

He says the Arab League is under strong pressure to produce decisive results.

Activists said nearly 40 people died during the first two days of the observers' mission.

Casualty figures and other information are hard to verify as most foreign media are barred from Syria.

Gen Dabi has defended the Arab League mission, saying it is still in its early days.

The US has also urged activists to give Gen Dabi and his team a chance.

China, a key Syrian ally, said on Thursday it welcomed the observers' "objective investigations".

A foreign ministry spokesman said China hoped all parties could work towards "the proper settlement of Syria's crisis", Xinhua news agency reported.

The mission currently consists of 66 observers and is expected to rise to between 200 and 300. It is to assess an initiative - agreed with Damascus after weeks of prevarication - requiring all armed forces to withdraw from areas of conflict.

Damascus has pledged to allow the monitors full freedom of movement.

On Wednesday, Syria released 755 people detained during the uprising. State TV said their "hands were not stained with blood".

The UN says more than 14,000 people are in detention and 5,000 have been killed as a result of the state's crackdown.

Human rights activists believe as many as 40,000 people are being held.

President Assad says government forces are fighting armed gangs and that more than 2,000 security personnel have been killed.

Continue Reading... Labels: cities, observers, Syria, Visit

Assad praised at Syria funerals

24 December 2011 Last updated at 12:17 ET

The coffins were lined up in the Umayyad Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites

Thousands of people have attended the funerals of the 44 victims of Friday's twin bomb attacks in Syria's capital, Damascus, amid a strong show of support for President Bashar al-Assad.

Mourners flew flags of the ruling Baath party and held portraits of Mr Assad.

Syria blamed the attacks on al-Qaeda, but the opposition said they were staged by the government to justify its crackdown on anti-Assad protesters.

The attacks came a day after an Arab League mission began in Syria.

It is tasked with monitoring whether the government complies with a peace agreement that orders all troops to withdraw from the streets, with the aim of ending the violence.

'Popular revolution'

Syrian television carried live pictures of the victims' coffins, six marked "unknown", as they were lined up inside the Umayyad Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites.

Mourners chanted "Death to America" and "We sacrifice our souls and blood for you, Bashar" during the funeral processions.

The attacks targeted two security buildings in Damascus

Cleric Said al-Bouti said he hoped the attacks would lift "the veils on the eyes of the Arab League... so that they see who is the murderer and who is the victim".

Religious Affairs Minister Abdel Sattar al-Sayyed read a statement he said was from Christian and Muslim leaders: "We call upon the Syrian people to be aware that Syria is being targeted, and affirm that we stand with them in the face of this plot. We reject any sort of extremism."

No-one has said they carried out the suicide attacks, which targeted two security service bases in the Kafr Sousa area of Damascus. A total of 166 people were injured.

But opposition groups accused the government of orchestrating them.

The Syrian National Council said "the Syrian regime, alone, bears all the direct responsibility for the two terrorist explosions" as it wanted to give the impression "it faces danger from abroad and not a popular revolution".

The Muslim Brotherhood, part of the council, said the government had set up a fake website purporting to represent the Brotherhood and claiming responsibility for the bombings.

Senior Brotherhood figure Muhammad Riyad al-Shaqfah said: "They created a website which they called the MB website and posted a false statement. The website is false, and so is the statement."

'Fresh shelling'

The main Arab League team has yet to arrive.

Sudanese Gen Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi said he would go to Damascus on Saturday to head the delegation.

About 50 monitors are set to arrive on Monday, with the team eventually reaching 150-200.

Gen Dabi said he was "optimistic that the mission of the monitors will be successful".

Reform activists fear Friday's bombings will spark a renewed crackdown on dissent.

They said the violence continued on Saturday, with shelling in the city of Homs killing at least three people in the Baba Amr district.

More than 5,000 people have been killed and thousands more detained since anti-government protests erupted in March, the UN says.

The claims have not been independently verified, as most foreign media are banned from reporting in Syria.

Continue Reading... Labels: Assad, funerals, praised, Syria

Uprising overshadows Syria polls

12 December 2011 Last updated at 15:29 ET

The BBC's Jonathan Head says turnout is expected to be very low

Syria has held local elections despite continuing violence between security and opposition forces.

Authorities said the vote had been freer than in previous years, but the opposition called for a boycott and launched a general strike.

Turnout was expected to be very low. Correspondents say many Syrian voters would not risk going to the polls.

Fighting is said to have continued in several cities, with at least 20 people reported killed on Monday.

The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), a network of opposition activists, said the deaths had occurred in Idlib in the north, Homs and Hama further south, and in a suburb of the capital, Damascus.

The group said four women and two children were among the dead.

Fierce fighting is also reportedly continuing in the southern province of Deraa.

On Sunday, activists said up to 18 people had been killed across the country - including 11 in Homs and Hama.

The UN estimates that more than 4,000 people have died in the nine-month uprising, including 307 children.

The Syrian government says it is fighting armed groups. Many army defectors have joined the opposition in recent months.

Reports from Syria are difficult to verify as foreign journalists are unable to move around the country freely.

War zone

The Syrian state news agency reported people flocking to polling stations.

But in opposition strongholds activists said there were few signs that an election was even happening, and almost no-one was voting, reported the BBC's Jonathan Head in neighbouring Turkey.

In these places shops remained shut on the second day of an indefinite general strike called by the opposition, reports say.

The authorities said Monday's polls were part of reforms being introduced in response to the protests.

"The new election law contains the necessary guarantees for a democratic, transparent and honest election," the head of the elections committee, Khalaf al-Ezzawi, told state media.

About 43,000 candidates have been competing for more than 17,000 seats in local councils across Syria.

Zeina, a voter in Damascus, told AFP news agency: "I voted because we want to contribute to the reforms " pledged by President Bashar al-Assad.

But our correspondent says the vote means little in much of the country, where going out to cast a ballot can be too dangerous.

He says Homs - Syria's third-largest city - resembles a war zone, with gun battles occurring every day between army units and lightly armed opposition forces.

A resident of the city told the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera: "I didn't even know an election was taking place.

"The people of Homs have removed every picture of Bashar al-Assad from the streets, so don't expect to see pictures of candidates who are no more than stooges of the regime."

Foreign pressure

The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) has warned of an impending final assault on Homs by security forces.

It also said that the general strike launched on Sunday was being widely observed in 12 provinces.

President Assad is under international pressure to end the continuing crackdown on anti-government protesters.

United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay is due to brief the Security Council on the situation in Syria later on Monday.

On Saturday, the Arab League is due to discuss Damascus's conditional acceptance of the league's plan to send in monitors to assess the violence.

Last month the league suspended Syria's membership in protest at the continuing crackdown and also imposed economic sanctions.

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Continue Reading... Labels: overshadows, polls, Syria, Uprising

Syria defies Arab League deadline

25 November 2011 Last updated at 13:27 ET

The BBC's Paul Wood was smuggled into Homs were he met military defectors

An Arab League deadline for Syria to allow an observer mission or face sanctions has passed with no response from Damascus to the ultimatum.

The deadline was set for 11:00 GMT. Earlier, the league warned it would meet on Saturday to discuss sanctions.

The league wants 500 observers to enter Syria to monitor the situation amid continuing protests, but Damascus has reportedly agreed to let in only 40.

Meanwhile, new evidence has emerged of protests turning into armed insurgency.

The BBC's Paul Wood, who travelled without permission to Syria's flashpoint city of Homs, reports that he saw a small but steady stream of defectors from the official security forces.

At least 11 people have been killed in the latest violence on Friday, say activists.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the UK, says the deaths occurred in Homs, Damascus, Deir el-Zour and in the southern province of Deraa.

Other activists - from the Local Co-ordination Committees based in Syria - say as many as 26 people have been killed.

Child torture

A United Nations human rights panel has expressed alarm at reports it received of security forces in Syria torturing children.

The Geneva-based UN Committee against Torture says it has received "numerous, consistent and substantiated reports" of widespread abuse in the country.

"Of particular concern are reports referring to children who have suffered torture and mutilation while detained," said the panel's chairman, Claudio Grossman.

He also cited reports of "extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; arbitrary detention by police forces and the military; and enforced and involuntary disappearances".

The committee said the Syrian authorities had been acting with total impunity while committing what it called "gross and pervasive" human rights violations.

The panel normally reviews each country's record every four years, but took the unusual step Friday of issuing a spontaneous demand to the Syrian government to explain its actions.

More than 3,500 people have died since protests against the Syrian government began in March, the UN estimates.

Violence has continued in Homs and other Syrian cities

The government of President Bashar al-Assad blames the violence on armed gangs and militants.

'Evil plot'

Syrian state television has also blamed militants for an attack on Thursday in which it said six elite military pilots were killed.

"An armed terrorist group undertook an evil assassination plot that martyred six pilots, a technical officer and three other personnel on an air force base between Homs and Palmyra," a military spokesman was quoted as saying.

Reports on Thursday suggested that military defectors from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) had said they carried out the attack, but an FSA spokesman later denied responsibility in a BBC interview.

The spokesman, Maher Al-Rahmoun al-Naaimi, said the claim had actually been posted on a fake Facebook page set up in the group's name by Syrian intelligence.

Reports from Syria are difficult to verify as foreign journalists are unable to move around the country freely.

Observer deadline

The Arab League set the deadline for Syria to sign the observer deal - which is a part of a broader peace plan - at a meeting in Cairo on Thursday.

An unnamed Arab source told Reuters news agency that Mr Assad's government would be given until the end of the day to answer.

Earlier this month, the league voted to suspend Syria and warned of unspecified sanctions for not implementing the peace plan.

One of the main sticking points was Damascus' demand to amend the proposal for the 500 observers to be allowed in to Syria.

The Syrian government reportedly wanted to reduce the number to 40 - a request rejected by the 22-member league.

An earlier deadline for Syria to end its crackdown passed last Saturday night with no sign of the violence abating.

Sanctions

The options for sanctions include a suspension of commercial flights to Syria and a halt to all dealings with its central bank.

Damascus depends on its Arab neighbours for half of its exports and a quarter of its imports, according to news agency AFP.

In Cairo, diplomats also appealed to the UN to prevent further violence, asking the world body "to take all measures to support the efforts of the Arab League to resolve the critical situation in Syria".

On Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu described the league's deadline as the "last chance" for the Syrian government.

However, Russia again voiced its opposition to the outside pressure, calling for talks between Damascus and the opposition.

France earlier suggested that some sort of humanitarian protection zones be created inside Syria, the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo reports.

It is the first hint that international military intervention is under consideration, our correspondent adds.

'Stream of defectors'

Meanwhile, the BBC's correspondent Paul Wood and cameraman Fred Scott have obtained first-hand evidence that the struggle for democracy in Syria is becoming an armed insurgency.

The BBC saw supporters of the opposition Free Syria Army group bringing in guns from Lebanon on old smuggling routes.

Our correspondent says he witnessed casualties coming out the same way in the area which is mined and full of Syrian patrols, but not completely sealed.

Once inside Syria, he saw a steady stream of defectors and exchanges of fire when their former comrades tried to stop them, our correspondent says.

A group of five defectors told the BBC that they had decided to change sides after being ordered to fire on pro-democracy protesters in Homs.

Almost from the beginning, it has been the Syrian government's stance that armed groups are supporting the opposition.

Now that myth of an armed insurgency is becoming reality, our correspondent adds.

Earlier, the head of the FSA, Riyad al-Asad, told the BBC that President Assad was now "finished".

Speaking from a refugee camp in Turkey, he said: "Even if the outside world doesn't help us or stand with us, the Syrian nation is determined to bring down this dictator."

"The system is rotten to the core. It looks strong, perhaps, on the outside but it is weak at the heart," the former colonel in the air force added.

The FSA was formed in August 2011 by army deserters.

Continue Reading... Labels: deadline, defies, League, Syria