WarSclerotic

As many as 98 people have been killed on Saturday by the gunfire of Syrian security forces, Al Arabiya reported citing Syrian activists. Half the number of the people killed were defected soldiers.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Syrian National Council (SNC), led by Burhan Ghalioun, is set to head for the U.N. Security Council to ask for international protection for the Syrian people against the massacres committed by President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The resolution, drawn up by Britain, France and Germany with Morocco, as the Arab member of the 15-member Security Council, calls for international backing for the Arab League plan to end the Syria crisis, according to AFP.

The Arab League suspended its observer mission because of the growing violence in Syria where Assad has launched a brutal crackdown on protests. The United Nations says thousands have died.

The United Nations said in December that more than 5,000 people had been killed in the wave of protests. Syria says more than 2,000 security force members have been killed by militants.

“Given the critical deterioration of the situation in Syria and the continued use of violence … it has been decided to immediately stop the work of the Arab League’s mission to Syria…” Secretary-General Nabil al-Araby said in a statement.

Arab League foreign ministers are expected to discuss early next month the possibility of withdrawing monitors completely, a League official said, according to Reuters.

Syria TV cited a government official as saying Syria was surprised by the decision, which would “put pressure on (Security Council) deliberations with the aim of calling for foreign intervention and encouraging armed groups to increase violence.”

“We will work with Morocco as lead sponsor and other council members on bringing the resolution text up to date,” said a spokesman for Britain’s U.N. mission.

“The Security Council briefing on Tuesday will be the definitive Arab League view, but the suspension of the observer mission shows that they were never able to do their job properly,” the spokesman said.

Arab League secretary general Arabi and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani will appear before the council on Tuesday to press the case for U.N. action.

The Europe-Arab resolution gives fully support to the Arab League plan to end the crisis which calls for Assad to hand over powers to a deputy. It “encourages” all states to follow sanctions adopted by the pan-Arab bloc last November.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, meanwhile, called for the United Nations to quickly issue a resolution on Syria, which has seen a spike in violence against anti-regime protesters.

“A clear reaction from the U.N. Security Council is becoming more and more urgent,” Westerwelle said in a statement.

He also called on countries that had not yet spoken out against escalating violence in Syria to do so, according to AFP.

Russia’s U.N. envoy Vitaly Churkin said the new European-Arab resolution crosses its “red lines” opposing sanctions, an arms embargo and any move toward “regime change”.

France’s Foreign Minister Alain Juppe sent a message to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday “to emphasize the importance of constructive cooperation between France and Russia” on Syria, French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said in a statement.

Several European ministers have spoken out for quick U.N. action to pass a resolution.

“Now is the time for the international community to unite, including by agreeing a United Nations Security Council Resolution this week, to make clear to President Assad and his regime that the killing must stop,” said Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague.

“A clear reaction from the U.N. Security Council is becoming more and more urgent,” Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said.

“Everything must be done to obtain a rapid accord on the draft resolution circulated on Friday in New York,” the French spokesman, Valero, said in the statement released in Paris.