Annan in Syria to press Assad for ceasefire

BEIRUT : UN, Arab League envoy Kofi Annan arrived in Damascus on Saturday to press President Bashar al-Assad for a p

Published March 10, 2012 Updated March 10, 2012 06:29am

1 min

By Muhammad Iqbal

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Airport sources said Annan headed for a hotel after Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad met him at the airport.

Annan's trip to Damascus followed a violent day in which activists said Assad's forces killed at least 72 people as they bombarded parts of the rebellious city of Homs and sought to deter demonstrators and crush insurgents elsewhere.

Arab foreign ministers were due to hold talks in Cairo with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Russia and China vetoed a UN draft resolution last month which would have backed an Arab League plan calling for Assad to step aside.

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