U.N. Security Council agrees to statement on Syria

The U.N. Security Council, including Russia and China, has agreed to a statement on Syria that backs U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's bid to end violence that has brought the country to the brink of civil war, council diplomats said on Wednesday.    

The statement also threatens Syria with "further steps" if it fails to comply with Annan's six-point peace proposal, which calls for a cease-fire, political dialogue between the government and opposition, and full access for aid agencies.

Meanwhile, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said that Syria's crisis was extremely dangerous and had "massive repercussions" for the world, as more fighting erupted, with two Damascus suburbs coming under heavy tank bombardment.    

"We do not know how events will unfold. But we do know that we all have a responsibility to work for a resolution of this profound and extremely dangerous crisis," Ban said in a speech in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.    

On Wednesday, two large Damascus suburbs came under tank bombardment following renewed Free Syrian Army attacks on forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, opposition activists said.    

Artillery and anti-aircraft gun barrages hit the suburbs of Harasta and Irbin, retaken from rebels by Assad's forces two months ago, and army helicopters were heard flying over the area on the eastern edge of the capital, the activists said.    

Assad's forces reasserted their control over Damascus suburbs in January after days of tank and artillery shelling that beat back rebels and reduced street protests against the 42-year rule of Assad and his father, the late President Hafez al-Assad.    

The Damascus assault and rebel fighters' flight on Tuesday from the eastern city of Deir al-Zor marked the latest setbacks for the armed opposition, which also faced accusations of torture and brutality from a leading human rights body. But as Assad made advances on the ground, he appeared to lose ground on the diplomatic front, with key-ally Moscow adopting a new, sharper tone after months of publicly standing by his government.    

"We believe the Syrian leadership reacted wrongly to the first appearance of peaceful protests and ... is making very many mistakes," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian radio station Kommersant-FM.    

"This, unfortunately, has in many ways led the conflict to reach such a severe stage."  Lavrov also spoke of a "future transition" period for Syria, but continued to reject calls from most Western and Arab states for Assad to resign, saying this was "unrealistic".    

It was not immediately clear if the change in tone would translate into a tangible difference in the way international powers, hitherto divided on Syria, might deal with the crisis.    

Lightly armed rebel forces have been forced into retreat across the country in recent weeks, with the army using heavy weapons to chase them from towns and cities, chalking up its latest victory in Deir al-Zor.    

"Tanks entered residential neighborhoods, especially in southeastern areas of Deir al-Zor. The Free Syrian Army pulled out to avoid a civilian massacre," a statement by the Deir al-Zor Revolution Committees Union said.    

In a fresh effort to form a united international front, France has circulated a Western-drafted statement for the divided U.N. Security Council deploring the turmoil and backing peace efforts by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.    

Russia announced it would back the text on two conditions - that there was no ultimatum imposed on Assad and that Annan release full details of his peace plan. Annan dispatched a team of five experts to Damascus on Monday to discuss ways of implementing the peace drive, including a mechanism to let international monitors into the country. Syria has questioned the value of such a mission.    

Lavrov also dismissed media reports of Russian warships entering Russia's naval facility in the Syrian port of Tartous. Lavrov said a Russian tanker with fuel for Russian warships involved in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden was docked at the port.

Reuters