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March 5, 2012

Kofi Annan to Visit Damascus; Syrian Troops Enter Deraa 
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The head of the Arab League has announced Syria has agreed to allow
former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to visit Damascus on Saturday.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrian troops have entered the city of Deraa
where anti-government demonstrations began nearly a year ago. At least
one person was killed. The International Committee of the Red Cross and
the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are still seeking approval from Syrian
authorities to enter Baba Amr section of Homs to help civilians. Syrian
armored forces recaptured Baba Amr after an almost month-long siege in
which shelling reduced much of the district to rubble. Quoting "local
sources," Human Rights Watch says about 700 civilians had been killed
and thousands wounded in Homs since a military assault in the city began
on February 3. Paul Conroy, a British photographer who was injured in
Homs, spoke to the media over the weekend about what he saw.

Paul Conroy: "It's systematic slaughter. It's not a war. The Free Syrian
Army provides bread and meager defense. This is not a war, this is a
massacre. We're watching it and once again the world sits by and watches
and I have no answers for them people. Somebody has to break the
geo-political stalemate that is allowing this regime to crush the
humanity out of Syria. It's a crime beyond, of a scale I've never seen."



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