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Full Article Best photos of the year Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Iran delays missile test 7:25am EST Gold's 10 percent gain in 2011 extends run to 11th year 30 Dec 2011 Boeing wins $3.48 billion U.S. missile contract 12:32am EST Clean-cut Romney sons on the stump in New Hampshire 29 Dec 2011 Russell Brand-Katy Perry 14-month marriage over | 30 Dec 2011 Discussed 365 Obama to ask for debt limit hike: Treasury official 121 Iran navy chief says shutting off Gulf ”very easy” 115 Pope ushers in Christmas, decries commercialization Watched Perry, Brand join long list of 2011 celebrity splits Fri, Dec 30 2011 Man and dog saved from LA cliff Thu, Dec 29 2011 Chile soccer fans on the rampage Fri, Dec 30 2011 Syrian opposition fears failure of Arab mission Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Opposition groups sign deal on post-Assad Syria 9:00am EST Analysis & Opinion Detroit’s glimmer of hope In 2011, the revolution was tweeted Related Topics World » United Nations » Syria » Related Video Syrians take to streets amid Arab League visit Fri, Dec 30 2011 1 of 11. Demonstrators protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Kafranbel, near Adlb December 30, 2011. Syrian security forces, undaunted by the presence of Arab League observers, have killed at least 12 protesters as hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, opposition activists said. Credit: Reuters/Handout By Erika Solomon BEIRUT | Sat Dec 31, 2011 9:00am EST BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition is pessimistic about the chances that Arab League monitors now visiting the country can halt President Bashar al-Assad's 9-month crackdown on anti-government protest, activists said on Saturday. There is little faith in the ability of the small observer team from fellow Arab states to bring about a withdrawal of armed forces from Syria's most turbulent cities and open the way to a peaceful dialogue leading to change, they said. Some activists fear the country may slip into civil war if the Arab mission fails. An opposition leader in exile predicted the United Nations would have to step in. "We don't know what to do. But we know Assad and his regime won't give us what we want," said opposition activist Ziad in Douma, a suburb of Damascus that has become a city in revolt. "So why should we wait for them to help us?" "Assad wants us to raise our weapons and kill each other and he is pushing us towards that every day. We wanted the monitors to help us find a solution, but it won't happen." The Arab League mission is destined to fail, said the Paris-based head of the opposition Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun. "If the regime fails to meet the commitments it made, there is no other solution except going to the (U.N.) Security Council and I think we are walking toward the Security Council," he told AL Jazeera television. "As you saw, the regime is still using snipers and is still using Shabeeha (thugs) and is still preventing people from protesting in public places," said Ghalioun, who is pressing for greater international intervention despite the fact that the West is opposed by Russia and China in the Council on this key issue. Despite the presence of monitors, which appeared to act as a deterrent on the army in some places, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition activist network which documents the violence with names and circumstances, said 27 civilians were killed by security forces on Friday. It said five members of the security forces were shot dead in a clash in the flashpoint city of Homs, where members of the Free Syrian Army made up of army defectors have established no-go zones to protect opposition districts. Some Syrians fear that unless Assad agrees to peaceful change, continuing violence will ignite a sectarian war between the majority Sunni Muslims who support the revolt and minorities including Assad's Alawite Muslim sect who want no change of regime. "LIES AND FABRICATIONS" Assad, 46, has signed up to an Arab League plan for a verifiable withdrawal of his troops and heavy weaponry from towns and cities, where they have been trying to crush protests that have raged since March. Hundreds of thousands poured into the streets in major protest cities on Friday to display their determination and hoping the presence of monitors would deter the army from using live ammunition in front of a watching world. "The army didn't attack people once the monitors arrived," said Ziad. "The army has hidden its weapons and they were stopping people by throwing stones. We haven't seen them do that for six or seven months. They even ran away from us." The state news agency SANA reported at length on "massive demonstrations" throughout the country on Friday in support of Assad, and against "the plot which Syria is exposed to." Demonstrators denounced "the pressure and biased campaigns targeting Syria's security and stability" and the "lies and fabrications of the misleading media channels" which caused the shedding of Syrian blood, it said. Mass rallies in the Damascus region "participated in lighting the 'Homeland Tree' which is decorated with the photos of the army and policemen martyrs," SANA reported. The Arab League mission which began on Monday has energized the protesters while provoking skepticism in Western countries. "We are determined to show them (the monitors) we exist. Whether or not there's bloodshed is not important," said an activist named Abu Khaled in the northern city of Idlib, in a typical comment on Friday. Amateur video showed teams of monitors in white baseball caps and yellow safety vests being mobbed and harangued in dense crowds of excited protesters. Some rushed at the observers, trying to shout over the thousands chanting "The people want to liberate the country!." MONITOR TEAM DELAYED The United Nations estimates more than 5,000 people have been killed across Syria since March - most shot during peaceful anti-government protests but many others were killed in rebel attacks and local defense actions. In parts of Hama, a city with a history of revolt and savage repression, videos showed protesters fleeing the main streets on Friday as heavy gunfire erupted in the background. In one such segment, a few men rushed back, ducking in the crackle of gunfire, to carry away a man who had fallen limp in the street. In Zaid's Damascus suburb, Douma, protesters bore away a man whose leg had been shredded by what they said were nail bombs. The Arab League mission has met with strong skepticism from the outset over its makeup, its lack of numbers - due to rise from 60 to 150 - and its reliance on government transport. The United Nations said it was critical that the team's "independence and impartiality be fully preserved." Spokesman Martin Nesirky urged the Arab League to "take all steps possible to ensure that its observer mission will be able to fulfill its mandate in accordance with international human rights law standards." He said the United Nations was willing to give the League observers training on human rights monitoring. Ednan Al-Khodeiry, who heads the Arab League mission's operations centre in Cairo, said a group of 22 Iraqi monitors who were due to arrive on Friday were delayed and would arrive mid-week, along with members from Gulf states. "There will be a weekly report in which we will evaluate the mission's work over the week. The mission hasn't completed a working week in Syria yet," he said. Arab League Secretary-General Nabil ElAraby said at the outset of the mission that it should take only a week to establish if Assad was keeping his promises. It would not take a month, he said. The commander of the Free Syrian Army told Reuters on Friday he had ordered his fighters to stop offensive operations while the FSA tried to arrange a meeting with the monitors. But in a newspaper interview published on Saturday he said if the Arab mission was "not professional, then we will resume our defense operations." (Additional by Ayman Samir in Cairo.; Writing by Douglas Hamilton; Editing by Jon Boyle) World United Nations Syria Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (1) fritzk wrote: Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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