Fierce clashes and shelling surround Damascus

However, reports stated that the Syrian army has been shelling the city of Darayya and the town of Jdeidet Artouz in Reef Damascus since the early morning hours.            

This as, an official in the Syrian Intelligence declared his defection from the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, in a video broadcasted on the internet by opposition activists.

The video shows a man in civilian clothes saying: "I, Joumaah Fraj Jassem, Head of Section 30 in the General Intelligence service, the external branch, declare my defection from this criminal regime and join the opposition ranks."         

Positions:           

Russia voiced support on Saturday for international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi but insisted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's exit cannot be a precondition for a deal to end the country's conflict.          

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement following talks on Friday with the United States and Brahimi reiterated calls for an end to violence in Syria, but there was no sign of a breakthrough.             

This as the Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter declared that she will send on Monday a petition signed by 52 states to the UN Security Council, demanding the referral of a complaint to the International Criminal Court regarding the crimes committed in Syria.


REUTERS/LBCI