Arab League ministers have announced plans to meet with Syrian officials on Sunday to discuss ways to end the deadly violence from Syria's anti-government protests.

The group announced the upcoming meeting in Qatar on Friday as its senior ministers sent an urgent message to President Bashar al-Assad to stop the crackdown on opposition protests.

Activists say Syrian security forces killed at least 40 people Friday in fresh assaults on anti-government demonstrators.

Activists said most of the deaths occurred in the Hama and Homs regions. Syria's state-run news agency described a different account of events in Hama. SANA news said gunmen opened fire on law enforcement officers, wounding an unspecified number of officers.

The Syrian government has blamed much of the country's deadly violence on gunmen and “terrorists.”

President Assad has been facing growing international condemnation for his crackdown. The United Nations says the death toll from seven months of anti-government protests has topped 3,000.

Opposition activists had urged protesters to rally for a “no fly” zone on Friday. The activists made the call on social media sites, saying the flight restrictions are needed to help protect civilians from government forces.