Affrontements à حمص Homs, دمشقي Damas : plus de 20 morts – 26 octobre 2011

17 reported dead in Syria clashes

CNN

October 26, 2011

(CNN) — Seventeen people were reported dead in Syria Wednesday as a result of continued clashes between government and opposition forces, a leading opposition group said.

The death toll included two children in the city of Homs, and a child in the Damascus suburb of Douma, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria announced.

The latest violence occurred as opposition leaders called for a nationwide general strike, and embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad huddled in Damascus with other regional leaders at an Arab League Ministers meeting. The meeting « was honest and friendly, » and the group « felt that the Syrian government wants to work … to reach a solution, » Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani said, according to Syrian state television.

« President Assad did not accept all the initiatives submitted to him, but he did not reject our points and requests, » said Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Ahmed bin Heli. « Our main concern is to stop the bloodshed of the Syrian people. » The delegation of Arab foreign ministers will resume talks with Syrian officials on October 30, he said.

A large pro-government rally, meanwhile, was held in downtown Damascus, state television reported. Read more…