Damascus: Peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi Monday held talks with Syria’s president on the “worrying” situation in the country, as Damascus fended off accusations its forces bombed a bakery killing dozens of civilians.
The talks in the capital came as Russia played down fears President Bashar al-Assad’s regime would use chemical weapons against the armed opposition, saying to do so would amount to “political suicide”.
“I had the honour to meet the president and as usual we exchanged views on the many steps to be taken in the future,” Brahimi told reporters at his hotel, a day after he arrived to launch a fresh bid to end the conflict roiling the country.
The UN-Arab League envoy said the Syrian crisis was “always worrying”, with more than 44,000 people killed since the uprising against Assad’s regime erupted in March last year, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Brahimi expressed hope that “all parties are in favour of a solution that draws Syrian people together.”
“Assad expressed his views on the situation and I told him about my meetings with leaders in the region and outside,” said the veteran Algerian diplomat who took over his present task from former UN chief Kofi Annan.
 Brahimi last visited the country on October 19 for talks with Assad and other officials in a bid to clinch a temporary ceasefire for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. Despite pledges, the truce did not hold.
His arrival in the country on Sunday coincided with reports by activists that at least 60 people were killed in a regime air strike on a bakery in the town of Halfaya, in the central province of Hama.
The activists said the attack, in which many women and children were killed, amounted to a “massacre”.
The official news agency SANA however on Monday blamed the killings on an “armed terrorist group” — the term used by the regime to describe rebels fighting to topple Assad.
“An armed terrorist group attacked the town of Halfaya committing crimes against the population, killing many women and children,” SANA said, adding that the Syrian army intervened during the assault and “killed and wounded many terrorists”.
“Terrorists then shot video images to accuse the Syrian army when the international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Syria,” the agency said.
Video footage posted online by activists showed a bombed one-storey block and a crater in the road.
Bloodied bodies lay on the road, while others could be seen in the rubble. Men carried victims out on their backs, among them at least one woman. The video could not immediately be verified.
The raid also left 50 others wounded, many of them in critical condition, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of medics and activists on the ground.
During the summer, rights groups accused government forces of committing war crimes by dropping bombs and using artillery on or near several bakeries in the northern province of Aleppo.
One of the bloodiest attacks in the Syrian conflict was on a bread line in the Qadi Askar district of Aleppo city on August 16 that left 60 people dead, according to local hospital records.
Including those who died in Halfaya, a total of 198 people were killed on Sunday across Syria, according to figures given by the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of medics and activists on the ground.
The issue of chemical weapons in the hands of the Damascus regime, meanwhile, resurfaced again on Monday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with English-language state television channel RT that Assad had given Moscow repeated assurances he had no plans to order a chemical weapons attack.
“I do not believe Syria would use chemical weapons,” Lavrov said. “It would be a political suicide for the government if it does.”
Dear TNT Reader,
At The News Tribe, our mission is to bring you free, independent, and unbiased news and content that keeps you informed and empowered. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism, as we understand that we are a platform for truth.
Apart from independent global news coverage, we also commit our unique focus on the Muslim world. In an age marked by the troubling rise of Islamophobia and widespread misrepresentation of Muslims in Western media, we strive to provide accurate and fair coverage.
But to continue doing so, we need your support. Even a small donation of 1$ can make a big difference. Your contribution will help us maintain the quality of our news and counteract the negative narratives that are so prevalent.
Please consider donating today to ensure we can keep delivering the news that matters. Together, we can make a positive impact on the world, and work towards a more inclusive, informed global society.
Donate Monthly Subscription Annual Subscription