At least eight killed at Syrian protests

AT LEAST eight people were said to have been killed in anti-regime rallies in Syria yesterday, according to activists. Demonstrations, dedicated to political prisoners, were reported in the protest hubs of Deraa and Idlib.

Opposition activists said clashes between regular army troops and defectors took place in Douma and Masraba, indicating that the armed insurgency could be spreading to the strategic satellite towns encircling Damascus, which has remained largely quiet.

On Thursday, a number of dissidents detained since unrest began last March were freed in the presence of Arab League monitors deployed to oversee the league peace plan. It calls for an end to violence from all sides, withdrawal of troops and tanks from urban areas and release of prisoners.

So far, the government has only partially complied with its demands,with Qatar now proposing the deployment of Arab peacekeepers and some opposition groups calling for withdrawal of the Arab League team and referral of the crisis to the UN Security Council. The groups hope the council could authorise western intervention modelled on the operation that helped topple Libyan leader Muammar Gadafy.

However, French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero dismissed this option as “not valid” and Gen Knud Bartels, chairman of Nato’s military committee, said the organisation is not thinking of or planning for intervention.

In Cairo, Egyptians dressed in mourning black flocked to Tahrir Square and the streets and squares of other cities for rallies dubbed the Friday of Martyrs’ Dreams. The protests, sponsored by 75 parties and movements, called for an end to rule by the military council that assumed power after the fall of president Hosni Mubarak last February.

In Tahrir Square, 1,000 people took part in communal prayers led by Muhammad Ali, a revolutionary who denounced the military for turning against the revolution and warned the people “will not leave the squares until the [military] leaves” power. He also denounced plans to celebrate the anniversary of the January 25th uprising while 12,000 civilians are languishing in prison.

Organisers read out a statement which, among other demands, called for the military to form a consultive council comprised of revolutionaries and led by Ahmed Harara, a man blinded by security agents during protests last year. They threaten to occupy the square until these demands are met.