AMMAN/DUBAI : At least 57 Syrian civilians were killed in armored military assaults by President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces on Sunday, prompting the Arab League to join calls on the nation's authorities to immediately stop acts of violence.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby issued a statement expressing “growing concern and strong distress over the deteriorating security conditions in Syria due to escalating violence and military operations in Hama and Deir Al-Zor and other areas of Syria,” Qatar’s state news agency QNA reported..
In the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI urged Syrian authorities to refrain from using violence against peaceful protesters demanding political reforms.
The pope, speaking to pilgrims during his weekly blessing, called on Syria’s government to respond appropriately to “the legitimate aspirations of citizens,” urging both sides to return to a peaceful coexistence.
“I follow with great concern the dramatic and growing episodes of violence in Syria, that have provoked numerous victims and grave suffering,” Benedict said from his summer residence south of Rome.
The Syrian government’s crackdown has left more than 1,700 dead and drawn strong international sanctions and condemnation against President Bashar Assad’s regime.
Benedict also referred to the ongoing conflict in Libya, which he said cannot be resolved through armed force. He called on the international community to redouble efforts to draft a peace plan for the country using constructive dialogue.
voice “growing concern” over developments in Syria and called on the authorities to immediately stop acts of violence against protesters,
A grassroots activists’ organization, the Syrian Revolution Coordinating Union, said among those killed by Assad's loyal troops Sunday were 38 in the eastern city of Deir Al-Zor and 13 in the Houla Plain, 30 km (19 miles) north of the city of Homs, which were stormed by tanks and armored vehicles early on Sunday.
“These are preliminary figures. The numbers of casualties are escalating by the hour,” activist Suhair Al-Atassi, a SRCU member, told Reuters by phone from Damascus.

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