AT LEAST 10 protesters were killed yesterday when anti-government demonstrations erupted in several locations across Syria following weekly communal Muslim prayers, the London-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported.
While thousands were said to have taken part in rallies, gatherings were relatively small in size as compared to protests earlier this year and many centres of the revolt remained quiet.
Syrians were relieved that there had been no deadly suicide bombings during the day and that the death toll was low.
“I went out on my balcony this morning and was happy to hear no explosions,” said Nabil who lives in a peaceful suburb of the capital but where blasts elsewhere can be heard.
State news agency Sana said that a security officer was killed and four were injured by an improvised explosive device planted in Aleppo province. Army sappers dismantled another device in the oil hub of Deir al-Zor.
The violence took place as Syrians prepared to vote in the first parliamentary election since the revolt began 14 months ago.
Ahmad Fawzi, spokesman for UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, said the Annan peace plan is “on track”, but warned that a “crisis that has been going on for over a year is not going to be resolved in a day or a week”.
He said that some heavy weapons have been withdrawn from urban areas by the army, but some remain.
“Some violence has receded, some violence continues,” he said, admitting that the situation is not satisfactory. However, he denied that the plan endorsed by the UN Security Council has failed and other alternatives should be sought.
“I’ve read headlines like ‘Has the Annan plan failed?’” said Mr Fawzi before noting that “there are signs on the ground that you don’t see because . . . this mediation process is by definition conducted under the radar”.
He also revealed that the mediation team has facilitated meetings between the country’s divided opposition leaders with the aim of convincing them to co-operate and co-ordinate their activities.
Without directly mentioning Washington, Mr Fawzi’s words were clearly meant to counter a statement made by White House spokesman Jay Carney who said it was time to develop another approach to the persistent violence in Syria.
“If the regime’s intransigence continues, the international community is going to have to admit defeat,” he said. The plan, added Mr Carney, has not “been succeeding thus far.”
If the government continues to breach the ceasefire, he said the United States and others could intensify pressure on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, without describing the means that the US would recommend.
Such measures could attract vetoes from Russia and China, which insist that the Annan mission should have a chance to succeed.
