Russia accused the West yesterday of seeking to “distort” an agreement for a political transition in Syria, after international peace envoy Kofi Annan said a ceasefire was “imperative.”
More than 16,500 people have been killed in violence in Syria since the uprising erupted...
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed the Geneva accord based on proposals by Mr Annan as an “important step”, but said Western capitals had read more into the final statement than what was written on paper.
“These (Geneva) agreements are not there to be interpreted. They mean exactly what is said in the communique and we need to follow the agreements that were made,” he said.
His comments came soon after Mr Annan’s spokesman Ahmad Fawzi had told reporters that a “shift” in positions by Russia and its diplomatic ally China at the Geneva talks should not be underestimated.
World powers on Saturday agreed a plan for a transition in Syria which did not make an explicit call for President Bashar al-Assad to quit power. However, the West swiftly made clear it saw no role for Mr Assad in a unity government.
Meanwhile, Syrian troops pounded several rebel-held districts in the central city of Homs yesterday, as the death toll mounted across the country, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
In total, at least 48 people were killed yesterday, bringing the death toll to more than 120 over two days, the Britain-based watchdog reported.
Two civilians and three rebels were killed in Homs, as clashes raged in and around the neighbourhood of Baba Amr, a former rebel stronghold that the army seized on March 1 after a fierce, 27-day assault.
Rebels and troops also battled for the district of Khaldiyeh, the monitoring group said.
Khaldiyeh is one of several rebel-held districts in Homs that have been besieged by the army for almost a month.
On Monday, troops tried to storm the encircled district of Jourat al-Shiah, according to the Observatory. Troops also rained shells in the southern province of Daraa, cradle of the 16-month uprising against President Al-Assad, killing six people, the watchdog said.
Among the victims were a woman and her three children.
In the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, much of which is rebel-controlled, violent clashes broke out with regime forces, at least four of whom were killed, the Observatory said.
The Local Coordination Committees – a network of activists on the ground – said: “125 families fled the city of Deir Ezzor and its suburbs ... as a result of the unrelenting military attacks.”
Several areas of Damascus province also saw heavy violence, the Observatory said. Troops shelled the town of Arbeen, killing one child, while two people were shot dead by snipers near the city of Douma.
More than 16,500 people have been killed in violence in Syria since the uprising erupted in March last year, according to the Observatory. This figure is impossible to independently verify, and the United Nations no longer publishes its own estimates of the death toll.