Syria claims a deal is on the table to end bloody unrest

SYRIA said it had reached a deal with an Arab League committee tasked with finding a way to end seven months of unrest and starting a dialogue between president Bashar al-Assad and his opponents.

State media reported the deal, without giving details, saying an official announcement of the agreement would be made at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo today. The Arab League last night said it was still waiting for Syria’s response.

The United Nations says more than 3,000 people have been killed in Mr Assad’s crackdown on an uprising which erupted in March against his rule, inspired by revolutions which have toppled three Arab leaders this year.

The government blames militants for the violence, who it claims are armed and financed from abroad, and says they have killed 1,100 members of the security forces.

Arab League ministers met Syrian officials in Qatar on Sunday to seek a way to end the bloodshed.

Arab diplomats said the ministers proposed that Syria release immediately prisoners held since February, withdraw security forces from the streets, permit deployment of Arab League monitors and start a dialogue with the opposition.

The United States said it welcomed efforts to put a stop to violence in Syria, but it still believed Mr Assad should step down.

Many in Syria’s opposition have ruled out any dialogue with Mr Assad while the violence continues.

Omar Idlibi, a member of the grassroots Local Co-ordination Committee and of the National Council, said the opposition wanted to see details of the agreement.

“We fear that this agreement is another attempt to give the regime a new chance to crush this revolution and kill more Syrians,” he said.

“It helps the Syrian regime to remain in power while the demands of the people are clear in terms of toppling the regime and its unsuitability even to lead a transitional period.”

Meanwhile, the head of an armed opposition group to Mr Assad rejected the Arab League talks with the regime, believing that interventions “on the ground” are the only option.

Colonel Riad al-Assad, leader of the Syrian Free Army (SFA), said: “We don’t believe that the Arab League is able to take decisive action.

“The Gulf leaders are crawling under President Assad, frightened of his ties with Iran. Unless we and the revolution take steps on the ground, the Arab League will never move in a definite manner.”

Speaking from inside a heavily guarded refugee camp in Turkey, Col Assad sought to focus attention on what he called the future army of the new Syria.

The SFA is the country’s real military opposition to the government of Mr Assad, said Col Assad.

After months of violent crackdowns against peaceful protesters, the SFA sees armed insurgency as a necessary measure to “protect civilians” and “crush” the Syrian regime, he said.

“We are a national army. We are the future army of a new Syria.

“We are not in league with any particular sect, religion or political party. We believe in all elements of Syrian society.”

However, only former soldiers who defected from the regime army can join the movement.

“Until now we have not allowed any civilians to enter the SFA. In the future, if we have enough weapons, we may arm older ex-soldiers, only men who already knew how to fight. I don’t want anyone that doesn’t know how to use a weapon.”

Col Assad said the group is carrying out “high quality operations against the regime’s army, and its security agents”.

He added: “We have operations going on inside the country, including a strong presence in Damascus. We are striking Assad’s regime and his army in many spots.”

Last week the group claimed responsibility for the killing of nine Syrian soldiers in a central part of the country.

On Friday, a further 17 regime soldiers were reported killed in the district of Homs, a hotbed of resistance, in clashes with former comrades who have defected.