Syria: 100 Killed, US May Agree To Arm Rebels
Some 100 people were killed yesterday in Syria. The city of Homs, “capital of the revolution”, remains at the center of the repression by the forces of president Bashar Al Assad. Children and women were among the victims of the non-stop bombings.
Meanwhile, an appeal by the Syrian rebel army to be armed by the international community was not totally rejected last night by the State Department. “We still think that a political solution is what we need,” spokesman Jay Carney said late Tuesday. The U.S. wanted to take no action that would contribute to a further militarization of the situation in Syria. This could bring the country down to a dangerous path. “We can not exclude any additional steps,” added Carney.
The White House also expressed support for the idea of a daily cease- fire to send humanitarian aid to civilians in Homs. For its part, the Syrian National Council (SNC), the leading body of the Syrian opposition, has urged the international community to deliver humanitarian assistance to Homs. The President of SNC Burhan Ghalioun called on Arab League Secretary General, the International Red Cross Committee, as well as the permanent members of the Security Council of the UN to lift the siege on Homs and allow convoys of food and medicine to reach the besieged areas.
