BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Opposition leaders in Syria Tuesday sought international protection from a government crackdown ahead of an Arab delegation's visit to calm the situation.
The prime minister of Qatar was expected to lead an Arab delegation during a meeting Wednesday in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad to broker an agreement with the opposition, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
But the Syrian National Council, an opposition group formed this month, said Tuesday it would not participate in talks with the government if the military doesn't end its crackdown on demonstrators, and calling for "international protection for civilians," the Times said.
"The regime says the crisis is finished while we say it will start tomorrow with a new chapter when all of Syria will begin the first day of a general strike," an activist from Daraa who gave his name as Ibrahim told the newspaper. "It will be embarrassing for the regime to receive the Arab delegation while the country is on a strike."
A report released Tuesday by Amnesty International indicated medical personnel at state-run hospitals have been cowed into denying treatment for injured protesters.
The United Nations said this month more than 3,000 people have been killed in clashes since mid-March, with thousands more arrested or disappeared.
