Team of monitors arrives in Syria as 20 die in clashes

AS ARAB League monitors arrived in Syria yesterday, opposition activists reported that 20 people died in a restive quarter of Homs during the continuing government crackdown on dissent.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces targeted the Bab Amr district of Homs, a stronghold of army defectors, with mortar and heavy machine-gun fire. Local residents stated that the well-armed defectors replied.

Syrian official news agency Sana said there was another clash between armed elements and troops in Deraa province; a “number” of the gunmen and one soldier were said to have been killed and eight wounded.

Human rights activists say 275 civilians have been slain over the past week by government forces and 150 have died during clashes between loyalist troops and army deserters.

The 50-strong observer mission, headed by Sudanese general Mustafa Dabi, is to be divided into five groups of 10 which will today visit Damascus, the central cities of Homs and Hama and the northern province of Idlib.

Tomorrow, they are scheduled to go to Qamishli and Deir al-Zor in the east and Tartous and Banias in the west.

Arab League secretary general Nabil al-Arabi has said the mission would need only a week to determine whether the Syrian authorities and their opponents are adhering to the terms of the league’s peace plan, signed by Damascus on November 2nd.

The plan calls for an end to violence by all parties, withdrawal of troops from urban areas and the release of all political prisoners detained since unrest began in mid-March.

The Syrian government delayed the deployment of the monitors for six weeks by pressing for amendments to the protocol governing their mission. The document was finally signed on December 19th and an advance team arrived in Damascus on the 21st.

According to a team member, they received the full co-operation of the Syrian authorities.

Although Syria had said the team would be barred from visiting sensitive military sites, the government may have changed its mind since an official spokesman has announced that the monitors would be able to go wherever they choose.

Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem has said he believes the monitors will uphold the government’s contention that “armed terrorists” are behind the violence.

The UN estimates that 5,000 people have died over the last nine months, while the government says 2,000 security personnel have been killed.