Defiant Syria unleashes more tanks on rebels

Turkey’s foreign minister met President Bashar Assad to express his concern over the response to the uprising, which activists say has killed about 1,700 people since March.

The visit by Ahmet Davutoglu is significant because Turkey until recently had close ties to Damascus. But Ankara has become increasingly critical of its neighbour over the bloodshed.

In Washington, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner hailed the visit and said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had spoken to Mr Davutoglu.

Mr Toner said: “They did talk about the situation in Syria, you know, and we believe it’s another opportunity to send yet another strong message to Mr Assad that this crackdown on peaceful protesters cannot stand.”

India’s UN Ambassador, Hardeep Singh Puri, confirmed his country’s representative was on the way to Damascus and was set to join representatives from Brazil and South Africa for a meeting with Syria’s foreign minister to appeal for an end to the crackdown and to promote democratic reforms.

The meetings were held as activists said tanks stormed villages outside the besieged city of Hama and two towns in Idlib province, which borders Turkey. There was heavy machine-gun fire in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, which also has been a flashpoint in recent days.

The Syrian regime has shown no signs of scaling back its crackdown despite Damascus’s increasing diplomatic isolation. Saudi Arabia Bahrain and Kuwait recalled their ambassadors this week.

The latest wave of bloodshed started a week ago, on the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when tanks and snipers laid siege to Hama, which had largely freed itself from government control earlier this year.

Residents were left cowering in their homes, too terrified to peek through the windows. The city is haunted by memories of the regime’s tactics: In 1982, Assad’s father and predecessor, Hafez, ordered the military to quell a rebellion by Syrian members of the conservative Muslim Brotherhood movement there, sealing off the city in an assault that killed between 10,000 and 25,000 people.

Since the start of Ramadan, more than 300 people have been killed in cities including Hama and Deir el-Zour, an oil-rich but largely impoverished region known for its well-armed clans and tribes whose ties extend across eastern Syria and into Iraq.

Syria has blocked nearly all outside witnesses to the carnage by banning foreign media and restricting local coverage that strays from the party line, which states the regime is fighting thugs and religious extremists who are acting out a foreign conspiracy.

Yesterday, Mr Assad replaced his defence minister with the army chief of staff, saying General Ali Habib was being removed from his post because of health problems.But some analysts said the general was unhappy with the crackdown.

Britain has welcomed Arab condemnation of the brutal crackdown by the Syrian regime, with Foreign Secretary William Hague warning that the world cannot watch in silence while protesters are killed and tortured.

As Gulf states prepare to meet to discuss the violence in Syria, Mr Hague said: “I condemn the violence against Syrian citizens in Hama, Deir el-Zour and other cities that shows no signs of ending.

“Hama and Deir el-Zour have been under siege for days by regime forces who have reportedly even used an anti-aircraft gun. This brutality exposes the regime’s claims to be committed to a reform process as an utter sham.

“We must not watch in silence while hundreds are killed and thousands more detained and tortured.

“I therefore welcome the strong condemnation by countries across the Arab world and Turkey of the regime’s actions and am urgently working with partners on increasing the pressure further on President Assad and those around him.”

Mr Hague also criticised the arrest of prominent opposition figure Walid al-Bunni and his two sons by security forces, adding: “Their arrest shows the regime’s disregard for meaningful dialogue. I call on the authorities to release them immediately.”