The U.N. human rights office says at least 3,500 people have been killed in the Syrian government's eight month crackdown on dissent, while Syria's foreign minister accused the United States of encouraging unrest in the country.

A spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights said the total includes 19 people killed Sunday during the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha.

Nearly a week of deadly assaults has killed more than 110 people, despite a deal struck with the Arab League to halt the violence.

Syrian ambassador to the Arab League Youssef Ahmed said Monday Syria has taken significant steps toward fulfilling the deal, such as releasing 500 prisoners as part of a conditional amnesty.

A U.S. State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said Friday she would not advise anyone to turn themselves in to Syrian authorities.

Syria's state-run SANA news agency says Foreign Minister Walid Moallem has sent a letter to diplomats saying Syria is surprised by the remarks, and sees them as encouragement of armed groups committing criminal acts against the Syrian people.

President Bashar al-Assad's government blames much of the unrest on “terrorists” whom it says have killed hundreds of security personnel.

Nuland said Monday U.S. concerns about Syria remain unchanged, and that the government is trying to deflect attention from the “brutality and violence” it is carrying out against its own people.

The Arab League has scheduled an emergency meeting in Cairo this coming Saturday to discuss “Syria's failure to implement” the agreement to halt violence against protesters.