Hama clashes: 6 killed by Assad forces
Residents of Syrian city prepare for further clashes with security forces as newspaper claims Germany demanded Syria halt violence, implement reforms
Syrian Opposition activists said government forces killed at least six civilians on Tuesday as tanks have been staged outside the central city of Hama, a day after soldiers' raided homes and arrested at least 20 people.
The activists said residents have set fires and placed debris in the streets to try to block troops from entering Hama amid the on-going crackdown on protests.
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The reports follow an earlier report from Lebanon's al-Nahar daily newspaper about a visit from a German envoy to Damascus. According to the newspaper report, the envoy arrived in the city to discuss the security and the harsh humanitarian conditions in the country.
Diplomatic sources told the newspaper that an envoy sent on behalf of German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized the need to put an immediate stop to the violence in Syria.
The report states that the visit took place towards the end of June and included a meeting between the German envoy and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem. The envoy demanded that Muallem end the violence against civilians and immediately launch "a true process of honest political reforms."
Last week Syrian President Bashar al-Assad removed the governor of Hama, one of the provinces at the heart of the ongoing protests. Ahmad Khaled Abdel Aziz was fired on Saturday, a day after more than 400,000 people reportedly turned out in Hama city demanding the ouster of Assad and his government.
Rights groups say at least 1,300 civilians have been killed by Syrian security forces since mid-March. The Syrian government says terrorists and Islamist militants have killed hundreds of security personnel in the same period.
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