LEADALL: Diplomatic pressure on Syria grows; Russia says "civil war"

By Deutsche Presse Agentur Nov 17, 2011, 21:50 GMT

Diplomatic pressure on the Syrian government escalated Thursday as Russia and China weighed in and an Arab-European coalition launched an effort to circumvent the UN Security Council with a condemnation of violence against democracy protesters.

At least 12 people, including an eight-year-old child, were killed Thursday as army defectors attacked army posts in Syria, a day after 31 people were killed, Syrian activists said. More than 3,500 people have been killed in eight months of unrest.

The Syrian Free Army, a group of defectors, had attacked three military facilities - two on the outskirts of the capital Damascus and a third near the Syrian-Turkish border, Omar Idlibi, a Syrian activist based in Lebanon, told dpa.

The growing international criticism of the Syrian government fortified the strong message sent by the Arab League on Wednesday, which gave Damascus three days to accept Arab monitors and halt its violent crackdown on opposition - or face economic sanctions.

Russia, which along with China has blocked UN Security Council efforts to condemn Syria's aggression against civilian protesters, said the increasingly violent struggle between government and opposition forces was 'similar to a civil war.'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who made the civil war comparison in Moscow, called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to make immediate democratic reforms, and urged him to allow international observers into the country 'so they can see for themselves what is going on.'

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin said: 'China is highly concerned about the developments in Syria.'

A request that Turkey, one of the most vocal critics of al-Assad's crackdown on democracy protesters, establish a no-fly zone over Syrian areas near their shared border was reportedly made in Ankara by the opposition Syrian National Council and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Turkish pro-government daily Sabah reported.

'The Syrian people would accept intervention coming from Turkey, rather than from the West, if its goal was to protect the people,' said Mohammad Riad Shakfa, the head of the opposition Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.

In New York, a draft resolution backed by Arab and European countries and the United States was submitted to the UN General Assembly, seeking to condemn human rights violations in the on-going violence in Syria.

The move would circumvent the 15-member Security Council, where Russia and China used their veto in October to block a resolution to condemn the government for the violence.

Jordan, Morocco, Qatar and Saudi Arabia were among Arab states that joined Germany, Britain and France to sponsor the draft submitted to the assembly's human rights committee. In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the US would sign on as a co-sponsor.

The draft demands an end to violence, respect of human rights and implementation by Damascus of a plan of action of the Arab League.

The 193-nation assembly will consider the issue after its human rights committee reports back to it. The resolution offers UN support to the Arab League for the proposed observer mission in Syria.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch welcomed the effort, saying: 'The General Assembly is finally given a chance to demonstrate that the global UN membership will not simply stand by while ordinary Syrians are being killed, arbitrarily detained and tortured.'

Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief currently visiting Russia, said the 'time has come for Assad to go,' according to the Interfax news agency.

In Washington, Toner stressed that the US said did not condone any violence, including on the part of opposition groups.

'It's not surprising that Assad's campaign of violence against the opposition has led to this, but it's a very dangerous path,' he said.

Idlibi said the dead on Thursday included four deserters outside the city of Hama, an eight-year-old child in the town of Deir al-Zour, and two civilians in the central city of Homs.

Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Mustafa, said Thursday that Damascus was looking into the Arab League's proposal to send monitors to Syria to protect civilians.

'We will positively address matters that serve Syria's interests,' Mustafa told Lebanon-based Al Manar Television.