Red Cross seeks Syria ceasefires; over 60 killed

Syrian government forces killed more than 60 people on Tuesday in assaults on villages and an artillery barrage in the restive city of Homs, activists said, and the Red Cross called for daily ceasefires to allow in urgently needed aid. Washington, which is preparing for a "Friends of Syria" meeting of Western and Arab states opposing President Bashar al-Assad, declined to rule out eventually providing arms to rebels seeking to overthrow him.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was searching for a candidate to name as a humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, whose role could evolve into seeking a political solution to the conflict. Activists said at least 30 people died in the bombardment of the Baba Amro neighbourhood of Homs city, and at least 33 were killed when forces trying to crush opposition to Assad stormed villages in northern Idlib province.
In Damascus, security forces opened fire on demonstrators overnight, wounding at least four, activists said. Violence in has hit the capital over the past week, undermining Assad's assertion that the 11-month-old uprising against his rule is limited to the provinces and the work of saboteurs. Activist accounts of the violence could not be confirmed. The government bars most foreign journalists from Syria.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had asked authorities and rebels to agree daily ceasefires so life-saving aid can reach civilians in hard-hit areas including Homs. "It should last at least two hours every day, so that ICRC staff and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers have enough time to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded and the sick," ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said.
Western and Arab powers that are openly seeking Assad's downfall are preparing for the inaugural meeting of a "Friends of Syria" contact group in Tunisia on Friday. Asked about the prospect of arming the rebels, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: "We don't believe that it makes sense to contribute now to the further militarisation of Syria."
But she added: "That said... if we can't get Assad to yield to the pressure that we are all bringing to bear, we may have to consider additional measures." Russia and China back Assad's own programme for reforms, which includes plans for a referendum on Sunday on a new constitution which would lead to elections in 90 days. Assad says this should satisfy demands for more democracy; his opponents say the proposals are a sham. Russia said it would not attend the "Friends of Syria" meeting because the Syrian government would not be represented. Lebanon, which has tried to distance itself from the turmoil across its border, will also stay away from the Tunis meeting.
Russia and China have faced Western and Arab criticism for blocking UN action against Syria. A former Syrian Defence Ministry auditor who defected in January told Reuters Moscow's arms sales to Damascus - nearly $1 billion last year - had increased sharply since the start of the uprising.
In an interview with Reuters, UN chief Ban said he was urgently contacting prospective candidates for the role of UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria. The UN General Assembly asked Ban last week to name someone for the job. Russia has said it would support a UN humanitarian envoy. Activists said government forces launched the artillery attack on Homs after rebel fighters holding the opposition Baba Amro district blocked troops from entering.
The British-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces had stormed villages in Idlib province in the north of the country. "The army stormed the village of Abdita and chased people in Iblin and Balshoon. They killed 33 people. All are civilians," the group said.
Activists in Homs said government forces backed by armour have been closing in on Baba Amro, a mainly Sunni Muslim neighbourhood, since the offensive on the city began on February 3. Tanks are deployed in the Inshaat district next to Baba Amro, opposition sources said. The Observatory said a convoy of more than 50 armoured vehicles was seen heading from Damascus towards Homs.