The United States has condemned Syria's continued violence against anti-government protesters, saying it is “past time” for the U.N. Security Council to act against the bloody crackdown.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday that Washington is working with its international partners to increase pressure on Syria to stop what he called the country's “completely unacceptable violence” against its own citizens.
In separate comments, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. does not believe the Syrian government has fulfilled the terms of an Arab-backed peace deal it accepted some nine weeks ago.
She said the Obama administration's top Middle East envoy, Jeffrey Feltman, will travel to Cairo for talks ahead of an Arab League meeting on Saturday to discuss Syria. League ministers will review its observer team's assessment of whether Damascus is keeping a pledge to end the violence.
Syrian opposition activists have sharply criticized the observer mission, saying it allows President Bashar al-Assad to continue cracking down on the rebellion against his 11-year autocratic rule. Rights groups have expressed increasing concern that monitors are “unprofessional” and lack experience.
Protesters have also complained about the mission's small size and were shocked when its chief, a Sudanese general, suggested he was reassured by first impressions of Homs, one of the main centers of unrest.
Arab League chief Nabil El Araby acknowledged that snipers and gunfire remain a threat in Syrian cities. But he said the observers have secured key concessions from Syria such as the release of political prisoners and the withdrawal of tanks from areas where opposition activists stage frequent anti-Assad protests.
One Syrian dissident told the Associated Press the opposition is “shocked” at such statements.
Also Tuesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy reiterated a call for Mr. Assad to resign, accusing him of committing “disgusting massacres” against the Syrian people. Mr. Sarkozy said Syrians should be allowed to choose their own destiny.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA security forces killed 21 people across the country Tuesday, most by sniper fire. In other violence, the British-based group said army deserters killed 18 government troops in a battle that also saw eight defectors die near the southern village of Jassem.
It said the fighting erupted as dozens of soldiers were deserting their posts and came under artillery fire from pro-Assad gunmen.
Syrian rebel commander Riad al-Asaad said his forces will escalate their operations if Arab League observers do not make serious progress securing an end to the government crackdown in the next week.
Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported an armed terrorist group blew up a gas pipeline near the central town of Rastan on Tuesday, cutting supplies to two power plants. Mr. Assad blames terrorists for violence linked to the revolt.
The United Nations estimates that more than 5,000 people have been killed since March in the Syrian government's crackdown on protests inspired by the Arab Spring democracy movement.
