Istanbul meeting on Syria failed: official daily

A Syrian government newspaper said on Monday that a weekend meeting in Istanbul of what it called the "Enemies of Syria" was a failure for those seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

"Despite all the hype, the conference of the 'Enemies of Syria' produced only meagre results... showing it was unable to shake Syrians' rejection of foreign intervention," said Al-Baath newspaper, mouthpiece of Assad's ruling party by the same name.

Under the headline "Another Failure," it said "the participants will eventually recognise that the resistance of the Syrians, the (government's pledged) reforms and the double veto by Russia and China... have allowed Syria to overcome the crisis and win the battle."

Despite a growing international outcry and numerous rounds of sanctions, Assad's forces are pressing on with a campaign to crush a popular uprising that the UN says has killed at least 9,000 in the past year.

Russia, a Soviet era ally of the Assad regime, and China have used their veto powers against two UN Security Council resolutions condemning the crackdown.

Western and Arab nations participating in the "Friends of Syria" meeting in Istanbul called Sunday for Assad to be given a deadline to meet the terms of international peacebroker Kofi Annan's plan to end the violence.

3 civilians killed

Syrian forces Monday pressed their crackdown on dissent, killing at least three civilians and wounding many as they pounded rebel strongholds in the country's restive north, a monitoring group said.

"At least one civilian was killed and eight injured by gunfire and shells during a military offensive launched this morning in Hass village" in Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Troops set ablaze the houses of eight people who had fled and arrested dozens of people in the village, it added.

Two other Idlib villages, Deir Subol and Farkia, were also targeted by Syrian troops in an operation in which a 16-year-old teenager was killed and three people injured, the Observatory said.

Also Monday, a civilian was killed in an explosion in the northern city of Aleppo while in central Homs city, one of the main targets of the regime's year-long crackdown, heavy machinegun fire was heard early morning in the Hamidiyeh neighbourhood, it said.

The latest violence comes a day after Western and Arab nations called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to be given a deadline to meet the terms of a peace plan crafted by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

Sunday's international conference in Istanbul by "Friends of Syria" countries also urged the United Nations to act to stop the violence, but steered clear of backing opposition appeals for arms to fight the regime clampdown.

Assad on Tuesday said he accepted the plan proposed by Annan. But this has not stopped the shelling of opposition strongholds.

The six-point peace plan calls for an end to violence, a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire and access to all areas affected by fighting, as well as an inclusive Syrian-led political process, the right to demonstrate, and the release of people detained arbitrarily.

On Sunday, at least 40 people were killed in firefights across the country, among them 15 members of the security forces, the Observatory said.

According to UN estimates, more than 9,000 people have died in the regime's crackdown on an uprising that began in March last year, inspired by Arab Spring protests that toppled long-time dictators in Tunisia and Egypt.

AFP is unable to confirm the accuracy of the information and the tolls because of draconian restrictions placed on journalists by the Syrian authorities.

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