Syria's Assad blames unrest on saboteurs, pledges reforms (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday "saboteurs" were behind unrest against his rule and that political accommodation could not be reached with gunmen.

In just his third speech since the demonstrations began four months ago, Assad appeared tense as he pledged to pursue a national dialogue on reform and held out the prospect of expanding a recent amnesty.

But he said: "We have to distinguish between (protesters, and others who have legitimate demands) and saboteurs. The saboteurs are a small group that tried to exploit the kind majority of the Syrian people to carry out their many schemes."

No political solution was possible with people carrying weapons, he said.

As Syrian forces swept through the northwestern border region with Turkey, blocking refugees fleeing a military crackdown, Assad called on the 10,000 who have already crossed the frontier to come home.

"There are those who give them the impression that the state will exact revenge, I affirm that is not true. The army is there for security," he said in the speech at Damascus University.

A committee on national dialogue will meet in the next few days and invite more than 100 personalities to discuss the criteria and mechanism for constitutional reform, he said. He set a one-month target date for presenting recommendations.

Syria's military operation along the Turkish border follows the biggest protests in four months of anti-Assad unrest on Friday which a violent clampdown has failed to quash.

Security forces shot dead up to 19 protesters on Friday, rights groups said.

In addition to the more than 10,000 Syrian refugees now in Turkey, a further 10,000 are sheltering close to the border just inside Syria in the olive groves and rich farmland around the town of Jisr al-Shughour, Turkish officials said.

But Syrian human rights campaigner Ammar al-Qurabi said the army was now stopping those still inside Syria from leaving.

"The Syrian army has spread around the border area to prevent frightened residents from fleeing across the border to Turkey," he told Reuters.

Qurabi also accused pro-government forces of attacking people trying to aid the refugees as they fled.

The violence so close to its border challenges Turkey's foreign policy of "zero problems with neighbors" that has seen it befriend the Middle East's autocratic rulers while presenting itself as a champion of democracy.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey has pledged to keep his borders open to refugees and has called the Syrian government crackdown "savagery," but beyond words, it is not clear whether Ankara's rapprochement with Damascus has earned Turkey any influence with Assad to halt the violence.

REFUGEES "FEAR GETTING SHOT"

Syrian troops and gunmen loyal to Assad seized the town of Bdama, only 2 km (1.2 miles) from Turkey on Saturday, burning houses and arresting dozens, witnesses said.

"There are roadblocks everywhere in Bdama to prevent people from fleeing but villagers are finding other routes through valleys to escape to the Turkish border," said Omar, a farmer from Bdama who managed to reach the border area.

"We received no bread today. There was one bakery operating in Bdama but it has been forced to shut. The 'shabbiha' (Assad's gunmen) are shooting randomly," one refugee, a carpenter who gave his name as Hammoud, told Reuters by telephone.

"One man in Bdama was injured today and we managed to smuggle him to hospital in Turkey. But many fear getting shot if they attempt to cross the border," the refugee added.

Faced with troops firing live ammunition, Syrian protesters have taken to venting their anger against Assad at night.

Demonstrations erupted overnight in the cities of Hama, Homs, Latakia, Deir al-Zor, the town of Madaya near the Lebanese border, several suburbs of the capital Damascus and in Albu Kamal on the border with Iraq, witnesses and activists said.

Authorities blame the violence on armed groups and Islamists, backed by foreign powers. Syria has barred most international journalists from entering the country, making it difficult to verify accounts from activists and officials.

Syrian rights groups say at least 1,300 civilians have been killed and 10,000 people detained since March.

The Syrian Observatory for human rights has said more than 300 soldiers and police have also been killed. Other rights campaigners said dozens of security personnel had been killed by loyalist troops for refusing to shoot at unarmed civilians.

Even so, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev practically ruled out supporting a U.N. resolution condemning Syria's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

In an interview published in the Financial Times on Monday, Medvedev criticized the way Western countries had interpreted U.N. resolution 1973 on Libya which he said turned it into "a scrap of paper to cover up a pointless military operation."

"I would not like a Syrian resolution to be pulled off in a similar manner," he added.

(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans in Beirut, Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Jon Hemming; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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Al-Assad blames armed gangs for Syria's unrest

(CNN) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad offered vague promises of reform and clear threats against protesters Monday as he addressed his nation amid months of protests that have left more than 1,100 dead, according to human rights activists.

The Syrian leader said he was "working on getting the military back to their barracks as soon as possible" but also warned that the government would "work on tracking down everyone who shed bloods or plotted in shedding the blood of the Syrian people, and we will hold them accountable."

He raised the possibility of amending the country's constitution and referred to the need for a "national dialogue" -- but made clear that his government would not engage directly with the opposition.

"It is not a dialogue of the opposition with the government... but it should be a dialogue that will include all fabrics of the Syrian society," he said in the speech, his third to the country in three months.

Al-Assad blamed armed gangs and conspiracies for the violence that has gripped the country, saying the unrest has tarnished the country's image and weakened its security.

"There are some who are distorting the image of the Syrian nation abroad, and they wanted to open the gates and even called for foreign intervention. They tried to weaken the national political position," he said in the speech to an enthusiastic audience at Damascus University.

"There are those who are killing the name of religion and want to spread chaos under the pretext of religion," he said, referring to conspiracies as "germs" that cannot be "exterminated."

Al-Assad has faced growing criticism from leaders in the United States, Europe and elsewhere over a violent government clampdown on demonstrators.

During the address, al-Assad said he had met a number of Syrians who voiced legitimate demands to improve the economy and increase personal freedoms.

He promised to "reform what has been damaged," though he warned it would take time.

"For us, the reform process is an absolute conviction that will be in the best interest of the nations and the citizen. We just can't jump into the unknown. We are working on building the way to our future," al-Assad said.

The speech follows protests a day earlier by children, who held anti-government signs and criticized al-Assad.

A video posted on YouTube showed a demonstration the cameraman claims took place Sunday in the Damascus suburb of Kaboon. In the video, dozens of mostly young people walk down a street brandishing signs, chanting and, in some cases, wearing party hats with messages on them. They are joined by a handful of adults, including one man who puts a boy on his shoulders as they march.

Another YouTube video, purportedly from the coastal city of Latakia, shows a group of young boys clapping and voicing anti-government sentiments. One boy leads the chants, with no adults visible.

The repeated phrases ranged from the patriotic "Long live Syria" to others targeting Syria's leader with slogans like "Bashar al-Assad go away" and "The people need the fall of the regime."

CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of videos. The network has not been allowed into Syria to cover the unrest and draws from social media and interviews with witnesses on the ground there to inform its reporting.

An opposition activist, who spoke to CNN from Syria on condition of anonymity, said that such demonstrations have become a daily ritual in the Middle Eastern country, with children embracing their parents' politics and following their lead in voicing their views publicly. Parents and teachers are often nearby in these protests, which typically happen in neighborhoods near homes or schools, the activist claimed.

There was no indication of violence Sunday, unlike what's been reported during dozens of other protests that have erupted since the mid-March arrest of teens for writing anti-government graffiti in Daraa.

Critics have accused forces loyal to al-Assad of targeting defenseless demonstrators and hindering outside help for those in need. The Syrian government has consistently blamed the protest casualties on "armed gangs."

Beatrice Megevand-Roggo, the Red Cross' director for the Near East and Middle East, said in an interview posted last month on the group's website that a lack of information and access has greatly hindered humanitarian assistance to Syria.

The head of her group, International Committee of the Red Cross President Jakob Kellenberger, will arrive in the Syrian capital on Sunday night, the organization announced via Twitter.

He plans to "discuss the humanitarian situation" and the role of the Red Cross with Syrian authorities, the nonprofit group said.

Kellenberger's visit comes two days after another high-profile activist -- actress and U.N. goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie -- met with Syrian refugees in Turkey and drew attention to the anguish faced by families affected by the violence and reported government crackdown.

The Turkish government has said more than 10,100 Syrians have crossed the border. About 3,000 more were huddled on the Syrian border near Badama, eyewitness Jameel Saib told CNN Saturday.

Refugees are living in four camps managed by Turkey and the Turkish Red Crescent, the U.N.'s refugee agency reported Saturday.

CNN's Saad Abedine and Kamal Ghattas contributed to this report.

CNN

EU condemns Syria's 'repression'

Group calls on those responsible to be held accountableEU expresses concern about "mass arrests, intimidations ... torture"State-run news agency: ''Syria deplores and condemns the conclusions"

(CNN) -- The Council of the European Union condemned Monday "in the strongest terms the ongoing repression in Syria" and the violence meted out by military and security forces to peaceful protesters, which have led to hundreds of casualties.

Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, the council adopted conclusions that call for those responsible to be held accountable and called on Syrian leaders to grant access to representatives of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"The EU is deeply concerned at continuing mass arrests, intimidations and instances of torture and calls for their immediate halt," the council said. It also called for the release of those arrested for participating in peaceful protests and of all political prisoners and human rights defenders.

"Syria must abide by its international commitments, in particular its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and uphold the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression," it said.

The condemnation came amid new reports of protests in Syria, where the government of President Bashar al-Assad has unleashed his security forces on protests against his rule in several cities. Witnesses reported checkpoints going up in central Damascus as police broke up demonstrations in the capital and in the northern city of Homs on Monday.

The EU Council expressed concern about the refusal of Syrian authorities to let international journalists report freely inside the country and condemned "the arrests and intimidations of Syrian journalists by the authorities."

The union said further that it was "deeply troubled" by the military closure of such cities as Daraa, Banias and Homs and by reports that those in need don't have ready access to medical treatments and basic services.

In response, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, citing "an official source in the name of the Syrian Arab Republic," said ''Syria deplores and condemns the conclusions issued by the EU against it and its people while Syria seeks to preserve its security and stability and to get engaged in a comprehensive national dialog that leads to completing the reform plans in economic, political and social fields, according to the specified national timetable.''

The source said the EU conclusions, "like those of the U.S., clearly aim at flagrant interference in Syria's internal affairs and an attempt to destabilize it and control its people's decisions and capabilities at present and in the future.''

"Today, the Europeans added a new black page to their history in our region when they took measures to provoke Mr. President Bashar al-Assad," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said on Syrian state television. "They placed themselves against the Syrian people."

The dueling statements came a day after about 7,000 Syrians turned out to bury four people killed Saturday in Homs, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Damascus.

The latest round of violence in the Syrian anti-government protests began Friday, when at least 44 people died in Homs and other cities, according to the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria. Syrian security personnel fired at demonstrators, the group said.

Protesters in Syria have been calling for government reforms and an end to political repression, part of the so-called Arab Spring, in which protests have erupted in countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

Syria casts the demonstrators as "terrorists" and "criminals" trying to destabilize the government. Syria also describes members of the security forces killed in the battles as "martyrs."

The Syrian Arab News Agency said Sunday that 32 "martyrs" had been killed "since the beginning of the events in Syria," and 547 had been wounded.

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