Syrians stage pro-Assad rally ahead of Arabs visit

BEIRUT, Oct 26 (AP): Tens of thousands of Syrians packed a Damascus square Wednesday in a show of support for embattled President Bashar Assad, a few hours ahead of a visit by senior Arab officials probing ways to start a dialogue between the regime and the opposition. The Arab ministerial committee led by Qatar's prime minister was expected to arrive later in the day, but prospects for the mission's success were dim in light of the opposition's refusal to engage in talks with the Syrian leadership. The visit follows a meeting in Cairo last week by the 22-nation Arab League, which gave Syria until the end of the month to end military operations, release detainees arrested in the crackdown, and start a dialogue with the opposition. Syria's opposition refuses any dialogue with the regime, particularly while it continues its military crackdown on protesters, which the UN says has killed 3,000 people since the uprising against Assad erupted n March. The broad-based opposition group, the Syrian National Council, said Tuesday it was worried that the Arab League's initiative "did not distinguish between the victim and the executioner." It also called for "international protection for civilians" without elaborating, and for Arab and international observers to be allowed immediately into Syria to monitor the situation. Human Rights Watch also called on the Arab ministers to demand that the government allow independent, civilian monitors into Syria to observe the behavior of security force.