LEAD: 51 killed as Syrian troops continue crackdown on restive areas

Feb 6, 2012, 14:32 GMT

Beirut - At least 64 people died across Syria Monday, mostly in the restive province around the city of Homs, which was heavily shelled by government troops targeting residential buildings and make-shift clinics, apposition activists told dpa.

In Homs, activists said 50 people were killed, while at least 44 were wounded.

'Some of them are suffering from serious wounds, so the toll is expected to rise later in the day,' said Omar Idlibi, spokesman of the opposition Local Coordination Committee.

Dozens of shells fell on residential buildings, setting several on fire, Idlibi said, adding that ambulances had so far been unable to reach the area to save the wounded, because of the intensity of the shelling.

Broadcaster Al Arabiya reported that Syrian army helicopters were also being used in the attack.

Arab League Chief Nabil al-Arabi called for an immediate halt to all acts of violence, warning that an escalation of violence would affect Arab and international efforts to address the growing crisis in Syria.

The Secretary General said the Syrian government's use of military action and violence against civilians 'will only lead to more destruction and bloodshed, which cannot be tolerated by the Arab League.'

Al-Arabi's statement came after a meeting with US ambassador to Cairo Anne Patterson, in which they discussed developments in Syria following the Chinese and Russian veto of a UN resolution aimed at ending the violence in Syria.

Heavy shelling in Homs on Friday and Saturday killed an estimated 260 people.

Meanwhile, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said army defectors attacked a military post at dawn in the province of Idlib, near the Syrian-Turkish border, killing three officers and capturing 19 soldiers.

Activists in northern Lebanon told dpa that three people were killed in the shelling of Zabadani area, near the Lebanese eastern border, three in Idlib province near the Turkish border and three others in Damascus suburbs.

According to a UN estimate in January, more than 5,400 people have died in the government's crackdown on pro-democracy activists since mid-March.

The observatory, which regularly updates the number of casualties, says more than 6,800 people have died.

The surge in violence prompted the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) to call Monday for an emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers and the UN Security Council to discuss the deteriorating situation in Homs, SNC foreign affairs chief Naji Tayyara told dpa by phone.

'The SNC will hold an emergency meeting in Qatar on Tuesday as well,' he added.

Monday's fresh bombardment of Homs comes ahead of a visit to Syria by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Foreign Intelligence Service chief Mikhail Fradkov, who are expected to meet President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday.

China and Russia defended on Monday their rejection of the UN resolution urging al-Assad to quit power and hand it to his deputy, in order to halt the bloodbath in the country.

The English-language China Daily newspaper quoted experts as saying the veto would 'win more time for a political solution to the crisis.'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also sharply rejected criticism of Russia's veto, according to Interfax news agency, saying the international community, led by the United States, had acted 'prematurely' in attempting to push through a resolution condemning al-Assad's regime.

Western condemnation of the Russian and Chinese veto was 'bordering on hysteria,' Lavrov added.

Britain, meanwhile, condemned the veto as 'inexcusable' and indicated Monday that it would focus on 'alternative courses of action' to end the bloodshed.

Also on Monday, Turkey ruled out the possibility that it might consider military intervention in neighbouring Syria if the situation in the country does not improve.

'We will do whatever is necessary, but military intervention is not an option for Turkey,' Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc was quoted as saying by state news agency Anatolian.