Damascus, Dec 31 (AFP) Syria's opposition, hoping to topple President Bashar al-Assad, has charted a transitional period, as more civilians died in a regime crackdown despite the presence of peace monitors. Meanwhile the rebel Free Syrian Army said it is suspending operations against regime forces during the one-month renewable mission of monitors deployed in Syria to implement an Arab League peace plan. At least 32 civilians were killed today, including 25 who were shot dead by Syrian forces who opened fire on massive protests that rocked the country while the monitors toured flashpoints, a watchdog said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that Syrian forces used "nail bombs" to disperse anti-regime rallies, and fired live ammunition, tear gas and stun grenades at tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters. Funerals for several victims were held Saturday across Syria, the watchdog said, including in the northern city of Idlib where mourners called for revenge, a YouTube footage showed. Security forces also fired warning shots into the air as thousands of people began pouring into a square in the restive Damascus suburb of Douma for a funeral ceremony, the Britain-based Observatory said. In Cairo, headquarters of the Arab League, the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) and the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria (NCB) inked a deal late Friday as they eye a post-regime transition. An English language statement from the NCB said the deal "sets out the the political and democratic rules for the transitional period," should Assad be ousted by the uprising that erupted in March. (MORE) (AFP)
