Syria defies Arab League deal and fires on protesters

The continued bloodshed has all but wiped out hopes that the deal between Bashar al-Assad’s goverment and the Araba League could end the violence.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said the proposals, including demands for Syria to pull its military out of cities and free thousands of political prisoners, were to be implemented “fully and immediately”.

But there was no sign of troops withdrawing from neighbourhoods and cities on Thursday.

‘Firing hasn’t stopped’

Homs resident ‘Fadi’ told Channel 4 News he has heard gun shots from the early hours of Thursday morning.

“The firing hasn’t stopped since five o’clock this morning. The area of Bab Amro has been closed area completely.”

He said that while the Syrian people did not expect troops to withdraw completely, they did not expect violence on the streets to escalate.

“Many people are getting killed just because they’re walking in the streets, by snipers.

“The regime knows very well that if they pull out military and security forces from the city, the demonstrations will be unbelievable because the people are waiting for the chance to take to the streets.

“This is why they’re trying to surround us. They will never allow this to happen.”

‘Sceptical’ about deal

President of the Syrian Human Rights Committee, Walid Saffour, told Channel 4 News that the Syrian people remained sceptical about the announcement of an Arab League-brokered deal.

“The Syrian regime are very well known for lying to the world. They will continue to play tricky games and they won’t withdraw their troops.”

Mr Saffour said that he remains “very pessimistic” that the violence will end in the near future.

“The Arab League is unlikely to do anything unless the international community acts.

“We have many statements from the US, Turkey, the UK and governments around the world But there will be more bloodshed while there is no action.”

On Wednesday the UK foreign office commended the Arab League intiative, saying in a statement: “it is vital that this plan is implemented quickly and fully. Action should be verifiable and sustained. The first step must be to stop the violence and repression, without which all other measures are meaningless.”

Assad’s critics have rejected his offers of dialogue, with some saying that only his resignation can end the conflict.

Human rights groups say at least 3,000 people have been killed since the government’s crackdown began seven months ago.