Syria uprising killings rise to 1,300: activists

[oberliner]

Source: Reuters

The main Syrian activist group organizing protests said on Sunday a violent crackdown has killed 1,300 civilians and called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down to transform the country into a democracy.

The Local Coordination Committees said in a statement power must be handed to the army and an internationally supervised conference should convene within six months to write a new constitution and "stop Syria from sliding into chaos and guarantee a peaceful transfer of power."

"The regime... has forced the army into a confrontation with its own people, as if Syria did not have land under occupation (to be liberated). It has worked on stirring sectarian fears without any consideration for national cohesion," it said.

The conference would include "regime politicians with no blood on their hands," representatives of the opposition and activists on the ground, the statement said.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/12/us-syria-killings-idUSTRE75B21U20110612

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, oberliner.

[oberliner]

3. Wish there was more coverage of this available

Hard to get accurate info.

[zazen]

2. Wow. 1300 people have given their lives?

Meanwhile, Americans avoid protests if there are not clean, adjacent port-o-potties.

[tjl148]

4. Oil?

Let's see. We bomb the hell out of Libya to protect innocent life. In Syria we bomb the hell out of them to protect innocent life... no wait, we didn't. Wonder what the difference could be. Note to protesters: Check with big oil before protesting to see if you are worth protecting.

[pampango]

5. The UK and France tried again this week to get the UN Security Council to pass a resolution

against the killing of civilians in Syria. Russia and China threatened a veto (which they didn't do with regards to Libya) and the resolution died, so at least for now the killing in Syria proceeds unimpeded.