Cairo (dpa) – At least 48 people were killed in Syria Sunday as Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi left for New York to seek United Nations support for a plan aimed at achieving a peaceful transfer of power in the country. Al-Arabi said his organization was in contact with China and Russia, Syria's two key allies, to win their support for the Arab plan, which calls for a two-month transition to a unity government, with President Bashar al-Assad giving his deputy full powers to work with the proposed new government. Damascus has rejected the proposals, saying they would violate its sovereignty. Meanwhile, Arab League foreign ministers are to meet in Cairo on February 5 to discuss the fate of its observer mission in Syria, sources in the pan-Arab organization told dpa. Ministers are to decide whether to pull out their observers or extend their mandate, the sources said. The 22-member organization suspended its monitoring mission in Syria on Saturday because of the rising violence. On Sunday, at least 48 people died, according to the Local Coordination Committees, a group of activists that documents protests online. Clashes erupted between defectors and government troops in the northern province of Idlib, killing 14 army soldiers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Activists said that 13 people were killed in the Damascus suburbs, while others died in the restive areas of Homs, Hama, Daraa and Damascus. Deserters seized control of parts of the dissident central province of Homs, following clashes between the defectors and government forces in the town of al-Rastan, the Observatory reported, quoting a defector. More than 5,400 people have been killed in Syria since a pro-democracy uprising against al-Assad's regime erupted in March, according to the UN. However, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Thursday the world body could no longer keep track of the death toll because of the escalation in violence. Damascus has blamed “terrorist groups” for inciting violence in the country since the protests began. The state news agency SANA reported that six army soldiers were killed in an attack by “terrorists” near the capital. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/3MTnW Tags: featured, United Nations, Violence Section: Latest News, Syria
