Annan calls for peace as new Syria killings reported

This citizen journalism image provided by Shaam News Network, taken May 26, 2012, purports to show bodies following a Syrian government assault on Houla, Syria. / AP

UPDATED at 10:47 a.m. ET.

(CBS/AP) As activists reported a fresh bombardment in the central city of Hama, United Nations special envoy Kofi Annan called on the Syrian government and "everyone with a gun" to stop the violence that left more than a 100 dead in the past few days.

"I urge the government to take bold steps to signal that it is serious in its intention to resolve this crisis peacefully, and for everyone involved to help create the right context for a credible political process. And this message of peace is not only for the government, but for everyone with a gun," Annan said.

Annan arrived in Syria on Monday, just days after a gruesome weekend massacre that killed more than 100 people.

"It is the Syrian people, ordinary citizens of this great country, who are paying the highest price in this conflict. Our goal is to stop this suffering. It must end and it must end now," Annan said.

Syrian troops shelled several neighborhoods in Hama until the early hours of Monday, killing at least 24 people, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees activist group said. Amateur videos showed a makeshift hospital where several people lay on the floor either dead or wounded. Further details were not immediately clear.

The mass killings Friday in the west-central area of Houla — punctuated by amateur videos showing rows of bloody children killed in the attack — prompted sweeping international criticism of the regime of President Bashar Assad, although differences emerged from world powers over whether his forces were exclusively to blame. (Click the player at left for a full report)

The head of the U.N. observer mission in Syria said he would emphasize "the suffering of the Syrian people" during Annan's visit.

"Today, I look very much forward to Annan's visit, I look forward to be able to covey my impressions of the Syrian people," Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, the head of the unarmed U.N. observer mission, said in Damascus. "Also to share with him that the suffering of the Syrian people is something that they don't deserve."

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CBS News' George Baghdadi reports that Annan arrived in Damascus Monday morning and was greeted by vice foreign minister Faisal Miqdad. Annan was to meet Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Monday afternoon and then President Assad on Tuesday.

The newly reported violence comes at a time of deep concern over the conflict in Syria. The Houla massacre was one of the deadliest single days of the country's uprising, which is in its 15th month.

Syria has strongly denied allegations that its forces carried out the killings, suggesting instead that sate forces were attacked at their bases by armed "terrorists," who were also to blame for the massacre in Houla.

The U.N. Security Council after an emergency session Sunday condemned government forces for shelling residential areas, but stopped short of explicitly blaming Assad's regime for the deaths in the house-to-house raids.

Russia, which has blocked all attempts by the U.S. and its other allies at the U.N. to take harsher action against Assad, made it clear on Monday that Moscow's position had changed little in the wake of the Houla massacre.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said both sides in the Syrian conflict "had a hand" in the deaths in Houla.

Lavrov said "the area is controlled by the militants, but is also surrounded by government troops."

He spoke Monday following talks with visiting British Foreign Secretary William Hague in Moscow, whose remarks also suggested little new common ground between the U.K. - which along with the U.S. has called for Assad to step down immediately - and Moscow.

Hague and Lavrov both stressed Annan's six-point ceasefire plan as the only workable solution to the crisis in Syria. However, the incongruous messages coming from Moscow and the other U.N. Security Council member states suggest the international community will be able to do little to force Assad's regime, or the rebel forces, to adhere to the agreement.

Annan himself issued a statement upon arriving in Damascus, condemning the Houla massacre anew and saying, "our goal is to stop this suffering. It must end and it must end now."

"I urge the government to take bold steps to signal that it is serious in its intention to resolve this crisis peacefully, and for everyone involved to help create the right context for a credible political process," added Annan, before making it clear that both sides in the conflict must lay down arms.

"This message of peace is not only for the government but for everyone with a gun. The six-point plan has to be implemented comprehensively, and this is not happening," said Annan.

CBS' Pamela Falk contributed.

[Ourdoc1]

How many times are you going to ASK Assad to stop killing the people of his country? Is it not time for action? Time to KILL ASSAD? The UN needs to put their "big boy" pants on for a while and stop playing with this psychotic serial murderer..

[LCCLYDE]

Air strikes on ANY heavy artillery is warranted.This needs to be done by the Arab nations that bought so many jets from us.This is what they were for.I don't think it will be long before it happens.But to be sure it needs to be the Arabs sending a message to thier own,massacres and murders will not be permitted.Once this is done the Arab peoples will show the world Islam is a just cause and not the tool of terror.

[samXXkiley]

coucou,
violence is increasing in Syria, Bashar kills over and over, despite that, Kofi Anan continues to believe in "his" plan for peace, this is called "delude ourselves".
"au revoir"

[fridak-2009]

The difference is that Russia and China have blocked any and all resolutions in the UN that would involve force. That was not the case in Libya. Sitting in your overstuffed chair and criticizing Annan is just another form of armchair quarterbacking.

[smartasss1]

If this was the 40s, Kofi Annan would still be preaching peace while Hitler slaughters millions. I prefer Ban ki-moon's handling of Libya. He spoke softly, but he took decisive action when it was needed.

Obviously Assad has no interest in peace. He rules by fear and being brutal. 20,000 has been killed and many more will die. This latest massacre includes 30 children. Enough with the peace crap. It's time for the UN to proceed to military action or be irrelevant.

[brynaweiss]

Where are the Rachel Corries and the Turkish boaters where there is real murder by Arab goverenments and Arab people against their own?! Any one notice they are nowhere to be found. Oh, of course,it is only Israel that merits their involvement and condemnation.

[smartasss1]

It's hard to help backward people. They ask for your help then blame you later.

[pjk12354]

The U.S. will not intervene because there is nothing to be gained by selfish American special interest groups.

[smartasss1]

It's not America's job to be world police. We did not even want to intervene in Libya. But the Arab council and Europe begged us to contribute to that conflict.

American's are tired of war. Polls show that majority of the people prefer to stay out of it. It would cost a lot of money during a time of financial hardship. But if Saudi and the other Arab countries would show character; and take the lead on this, maybe we would be OK to support it.

[LCCLYDE]

We are tired of war.But America is still relevent in the world because when things break out like this we are always asked to step in to sort it out.The majority of the world knows that with American help a sense of justice ,fairness and of course might will come too.

[Jesus_to_ground_control]

Containment

I ask you now, to whom is Annan delivering his message of peace? Certainly not to Assad and his goons. It is probably to an out of touch worldwide audience who watches the horrors of war impassively whiles eating their popcorn and stuff.

This is the possible damage an empty message of peace could do in the region and beyond:

Iran will probably use its new clout against Assad's enemies when it will possess nuclear arms. Russia is waiting to see the extent of what the U.N. can do about Iran's nuclear arms development and Syria's "militants" when it crushes Chechen "militants". Energy hungry China is planning the same with parts of countries that they have invested heavily in (New-York city is first in line).

So Mr. Annan, drop what you are doing, go back to the drawing board at the U.N. and ask for the development of a big stick, or a comprehensive package of coordinated smaller ones). Only then will dictators and bullies listen to you and your words for peace.

[JoeSocrates]

Assad is a brutal dictator determined to stay in power. He saw Mubarak and Khadafi get dethroned and one of them killed. He wants the power and will kill as many as he needs to keep it.

The alleged terrorist must be good because the Syrian army has never killed or captured one - if in fact any exist which we all know is a contrived lie.

Assad is the bully here with the bullets. He knows no one has any courage for a war now because the world is worried about money.

When money is the first worry, all else goes to the back burner. Assad will play this out for a long time because NATO is a worthless organization that should be disbanded and another organization formed to replace it - something like "Conform or Die Alliance"

Assad is not a man of his word. He signed a peace agreement and shot people the same and next day after signing.

Dictators are something democratic nations are unfamiliar with. We in the US are not familiar with the extreme cruelty they can inflict. And, there is no recourse in a dictatorship. It is done and over.

The Syrian 99%ers are the ones being shot. Assad is the 1%er and he has the guns and bullets and arms and power. Lets take a clear lesson here.

The congress passed a bill last week that lets anyone suspected of "terrorist" activity be detained indefinitely without recourse. No news of that anywhere. It was slipped into the mix quietly, and you can bet that when the revolution comes in the US, and it won't be too long, that will be used to detain as many as it takes for as long as it takes to crush the uprising of the 99% against the 1%. Check that out if you are skeptical.

[talkin2u924]

No consensus from the UN? You mean to tell me there are those that won't step up and condemn the killing of innocents? All we can do is "condemn" the killing. When are world governments going to step in and do something to save lives. It's not complicated. It's the human thing to do. It appears we are not as civilized a race of beings as we thought.

[curse914]

This is humanity.

The mob has to make change, government is a tool of the people and when it no longer serves the people>

[sdemaggie]

Another visit from a powerless whelp-Annan. What a joke. Another massacre of the innocents with NO involvement of the so called armed peace lovers-really? How blind do these fools think the world is? Who cares. I'm with the Russian's, this is an internal Syrian issue. If this happened in a country with the wealth and power to defend itself such as France none of this none sense would be tolerated.