Syrian activists call for strike, violence ramps up in Homs
The opposition's call was met with little enthusiasm by Syrians, particularly in the heart of the capital Damascus, where the shops were all open and daily life went normal.
However, on Sunday several suburbs of Damascus, particularly Harasta, a hotbed of dissent and the scene of some armed confrontation with government forces, saw a strike with all shops closed, a witness said.
A resident of Harasta told Xinhua that some shops were forcibly closed in that area out of fear of reprisal from armed thugs that threatened retribution if shop owners didn't comply with the strike.
In the meantime, violence in the central region of Homs escalated during the weekend. Quoting medical sources, the al-Watan newspaper reported that at least 20 corpses were dumped on Homs's streets.
Citing opposition activists, al-Jazeera TV reported about 14 Syrians were killed Sunday in a new wave of violence between government troops and armed groups.
As the tension continues, the AL has decided to hold emergency meetings at the end of the week to discuss the situation in Syria.
According to reports from Egypt's official MENA news agency, there will first be a meeting of the AL ministerial committee in charge of handling the crisis in Syria and then another of foreign ministers.
The meetings will discuss the Arab response to Syria's recent positive stance toward the AL's observer proposal, after the pan-Arab body decided to slap sanctions against Syria.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem has said earlier in a message to the AL that Syria would welcome observers' monitoring, but proposed some minor amendments that would not affect the protocol's essence; Kazinform cites Xinhua.
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