Rebels reject Syrian calls for dialogue

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DAMASCUS, Syria, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- A spokesman for Syria's rebels Tuesday rejected the Assad government's call for dialogue, saying no one would talk to "killers."

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem issued the call for talks Monday at the United Nations as the death toll from months of fierce fighting continued to rise and the flow of refugees into neighboring countries approached crisis proportions, CNN reported.

"No Syrian is willing to sit down with any of these killers in the Syrian government who have been responsible for every single drop of blood that have been shed in Syria," Syrian National Council spokesman George Sabra said in response to Moallem.

"From Day 1, the regime played the same tune, call[ing] for political solution while ordering mass killing all across the homeland," Sabra continued.

The large number of Syrians fleeing across the border to escape the fighting and fatalities is beginning to create backlash.

Responding to public protests, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this week he still supports the Syrian opposition, but he appeared to be ready to place restrictions on the influx of Syrians.

Turkey has accepted more than 93,000 Syrian refugees.

Thousands of Syrians have been camped at a Turkish border fence for weeks hoping to be allowed in.

The opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria says about 28,000 civilians and opposition fighters have been killed in the 19-month conflict. About 24,000 of that number were civilians.

Another 22 deaths were documented Tuesday, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said.