Syrias death toll rises to 87, Annan to meet with Assad tomorrow -...

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UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan arrived in Syria's capital Damascus Monday, and is expected to meet with President Bashar Assad tomorrow.

Shortly after arriving in Damascus Annan expressed his horror at the killings that had taken place at the Syrian town of Houla and urged the Syrian government to take bold steps to show it was serious about reaching a peaceful solution to the country's crisis.

Annan said he expected to have "serious and frank discussions" with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The two men are due to meet on Tuesday, according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry.

Annan's visit comes after the death toll of Sunday’s violence rose to 87, including 60 civilians, 4 army defectors and 23 pro-Assad forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

According to the report, most of the victims were killed in Hama by pro-Assad forces’ shelling.

Iran condemned killings in the Syrian town of Houla, placing the blame on "terrorist actions" rather than its Damascus ally and calling for the perpetrators to be punished.

In turn, China on Monday condemned the "cruel killings" of civilians in the Syrian town of Houla.

"China feels deeply shocked by the large number of civilian casualties in Houla, and condemns in the strongest terms the cruel killings of ordinary citizens, especially woman and children," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin.

For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow is deeply alarmed that Annan’s plan is not being implemented satisfactorily. “The massacre shows that goals are far from being achieved”, he added.

Lavrov blamed both sides in Syria for the Houla killings. He went on to criticize nations that say there is no Syrian solution without Assad’s exit from power, emphasizing that both sides must be pressured to halt the bloodshed.

British Foreign Secretary Willian Hague said that Britain and Russia agree on Annan’s plan dubbing it as the “best hope” for Syria. “Russia has an important role to play”, he added.

The Security Council issued a press statement Sunday that "condemned in the strongest possible terms" the killings in Houla. It blamed Syrian forces for artillery and tank shelling of residential areas. It also condemned the killings of civilians "by shooting at close range and by severe physical abuse," but avoided saying who was responsible for these attacks.

It gave no further details, and U.N. officials in Damascus were not immediately able to confirm the trip. The report came a day after the United Nations Security Council condemned and blamed Syrian authorities for the killing of at least 108 people, including many children, in the Syrian town of Houla on Friday - It also demanded the Syrian regime not to use heavy arms on towns’ that oppose it calling on the latter to withdraw its forces from such towns.

REUTERS/LBCI