Syria ‘to halt firing on rallies’

Thousands have been arrested in two months of protests against President Assad

An adviser to Syria President Bashar al-Assad has promised government forces will not fire on protests planned for Friday, an opposition leader says.

Louay al-Husein told the BBC he and other opposition leaders had been in talks with adviser Buthaina Shabaan to negotiate an end to the crisis.

Reports say tanks and soldiers are already being set up in some cities in preparation for Friday’s rallies.

Hundreds have been killed and thousands arrested since protests began in March.

Mr Assad’s government insists it is pursuing “armed terrorist gangs”.

Meanwhile, government forces continued to arrest democracy campaigners in several cities on Thursday, a rights group said.

Mr Husein, who was detained at the start of the unrest but freed a few days later, said Ms Shabaan had told the opposition that security forces had been given strict orders not to fire on crowds on Friday.

Ms Shabaan also said talks would continue next week, Mr Husein added.

However some reports suggested security forces were being deployed in cities where protests are expected.

In the central city of Homs, a resident told AP news agency that soldiers had set up sand barriers with machine guns perched on top, and said that three tanks were still in the area.

“It seems they are getting ready for tomorrow,” he told AP.

Syrian soldiers and tanks also surrounded the city of Hama, the news agency reported.

On Wednesday, 18 people were reportedly killed as tanks shelled Homs and clashes were reported in towns and villages around Deraa, where the protests began.

Security forces also broke up thousands of students taking part in a demonstration in Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, witnesses said.

The protest, thought to have been be the city’s biggest so far, demanded an end to the military siege of other cities in Syria including Homs, Deraa and Banias, the main cities of dissent against Mr Assad.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said security forces arrested dozens of people on Thursday in Banias and the neighbouring villages of al-Bayda and al-Qariri.

Lawyer Jalal Kindo was among those detained in Banias, where security forces have been searching out protest organisers, the London-based group said.

Prominent rights campaigner Najati Tayara was meanwhile arrested in Homs, the Syrian Centre for the Defence of Prisoners of Conscience said.

Speaking at a news conference in Greenland, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described Syria’s use of strength as “a sign of remarkable weakness”.

The SOHR says 647 civilians have been killed since pro-democracy protests began on 18 March. Another rights group, Sawasiah, says more than 800 civilians have died.

Officials dispute the civilian toll and say about 100 soldiers have died.

CLICKABLE

Qamishli

A mobile phone snapshot, reportedly taken in Qamishli on 29 April, shows protesters carrying banners written in Arabic and Kurdish demanding democracy.

Damascus

This footage, which the BBC cannot verify, seems to show demonstrators in Midan, central Damascus, on Friday afternoon. A source in Damascus says he could see a lot of security and police officers in the main areas of Damascus after protests began after Friday prayers finished.

Talbisah

This unverified video seems to show a peaceful protest in Talbisah. Moments into the footage, tanks fire on unarmed civilians. Wyre Davis reports.

Deraa

A soldier walks past men in civilian clothes lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs in this still photo taken from an amateur video.

Homs

11 May: The Times’ chief foreign correspondent, Martin Fletcher, tells the BBC Radio Four’s Today programme how he was detained in Homs and the hard line that Syria is taking with protesters.

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