Syrian opposition regroups
February 19, 2012
Syrian opposition groups called for a day of defiance and civil disobedience on Sunday, a day after security forces fired on protesters at a huge funeral in Damascus.
The shootings, which killed one and wounded many others, took place at the funerals of three youths killed on Friday in one of the largest protests against President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian capital since the nationwide uprising began in March.
"We expect huge demonstrations" in Damascus, Deeb al-Dimashqi, a member of the Syrian Revolution Council, told news agency Agence France-Presse.
"There is a large security presence," he said, adding that demonstrators were expected to defy the clampdown and stage rallies in several parts of the city, including in Mazzeh, where the funeral shootings occured Saturday.
Activists said 12 others were killed in clashes with security forces around the country.
Following the violence, Egypt said it was withdrawing its ambassador to Damascus as pressure grew for Cairo to also expel the Syrian envoy in the capital.
Meanwhile, a senior prosecutor and a judge in the restive northwestern province of Idlib were assassinated on Sunday, according to the Syrian state news agency, SANA. Gunmen opened fire on a car carrying the two men, who were reportedly killed instantly along with their driver.
Chinese delegation
On Saturday, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhai Jun urged the Syrian government and opposition to end the bloodshed.
"China ... calls on the government, the opposition and those with arms for an immediate stop to the violence," Zhai was quoted as saying during a visit to Damascus. "The Chinese experience shows a nation cannot develop without stability."
Zhai said China backed a referendum intended to create a new constitution followed by multi-party elections. Assad had proposed the referendum earlier this week as a solution to the crisis in his country.
"We hope that the referendum on the constitution and the parliamentary elections take place in a continuous way," Zhai as saying after meeting with Assad, news agency Reuters reported.
Zhai was also due to meet members of the opposition on Saturday.
Bloody crackdown vs. Syrian sovereignty
Previously, Zhai called on the international community to respect Syria's sovereignty.
"China hopes that national dialogue and reforms will move forward in Syria," he said. "We exchanged views on ways to strengthen our cooperation in the face of this difficult period."
The use of force to bring about a solution to the Syrian crisis has been vehemently rejected by China. The country, along with Russia, has received a barrage of international criticism after blocking a UN Security Council resolution that would have put an end to the violence in Syria by demanding Assad to leave office.
Human rights groups put the cumulative civilian death toll from 11 months of crackdown and conflict in Syria at around 7,000.
dfm, ccp/ai (Reuters, AFP)