Mass anti-Assad protest in Homs as monitors visit [View all]

[hue]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-syriatre7bo0b6-20111225,0,7336530.story


BEIRUT (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Syrians in Homs rallied on Tuesday against President Bashar al-Assad, emboldened by Arab peace monitors' first tour of the flashpoint city, after the army withdrew some tanks following battles that killed 34 people in 24 hours.

"There are at least 70,000 protesters. They are marching towards the city centre and the security forces are trying to stop them. They are firing teargas," Rami Abdelrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters.

The observers want to determine if Assad is keeping his promise to implement a peace plan to end his uncompromising military crackdown on nine months of popular revolt that has generated an armed uprising, edging Syria towards civil war.