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Scores killed in Syrian clashes despite peace deal

03 November 2011 20:14 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 20 civilians have been killed in clashes with government troops in Syria on Thursday, a day after Damascus pledged to withdraw its forces from protest centers under a deal with the Arab League to end months of bloody massacre, APA reports quoting Al Arabiya TV.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilians were killed in Homs, a flashpoint for the unrest, where troops reportedly used tank-mounted machineguns.

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi met Syrian opposition figures on Thursday, a day after Damascus agreed to open talks with dissidents, a member of the Syrian National Council said.

Arabi â€œbriefed us on the details of the Arab League initiative and its goals â€¦ aimed at finding an Arab solution to the Syrian crisis based on the need to stop the bloodshed in Syria,â€ said Samir al-Nashar, a member of the executive bureau of the largest and most representative Syrian opposition group, SNC.

The SNC on Wednesday urged the Arab League to freeze Syriaâ€™s membership in the Arab League and recognize it as the sole representative of the Syrian opposition.