Syria has condemned as "provocative" a statement by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that President Bashar al-Assad has "lost legitimacy" to rule.
"These remarks amount to further proof of the flagrant interference of the US in the internal affairs of Syria," Syria's state news agency Sana said.
After a crowd attacked the US embassy in Damascus on Monday, Mrs Clinton said Mr Assad was "not indispensable".
France also blamed the regime after its embassy was similarly targeted.
The embassy attacks came after the US and French envoys visited the northern city of Hama - a focus of anti-government unrest - last week, to show solidarity with residents facing a security crackdown. Syria said they had sought to incite the protests.
Human rights groups say at least 1,400 civilians and 350 security force personnel have been killed since anti-government demonstrations across Syria began in mid-March.
The Syrian government denies targeting civilians, saying it is tackling armed groups.
Embassy attacks
Pro-government demonstrators have held protests outside the US and French embassies in the Syrian capital for the past two days.
Hillary Clinton: "We have absolutely nothing invested in President Assad remaining in power"
On Monday, three staff members at the French embassy were injured after protesters used a battering ram to try to enter the building. The protesters broke windows and replaced the French tricolore with the Syrian national flag.
The residence of the US ambassador, Robert Ford, was also briefly attacked.
In Washington, Mrs Clinton demanded that the Syrians "meet their international responsibilities immediately to protect all diplomats and the property of all countries".
In the strongest criticism from Washington to date, Mrs Clinton added: "President Assad is not indispensable and we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power... Our goal is to see that the will of the Syrian people for a democratic transformation occurs."
Syrian officials denounced the remarks in a statement on Tuesday.
"The political leadership [of Syria] does not draw its legitimacy from the United States, but solely from the will of the Syrian people," it said.
Syria expects the US and its envoys "to refrain from any actions that are liable to provoke the sentiments of Syrians and their attachment to their national independence".
Dialogue ends
The diplomatic spat coincided with the close of a government-organised dialogue conference in Damascus that many opposition leaders have boycotted.
In the final statement from the two-day meeting, participants said that dialogue was the only way out of the current crisis.
It called for the immediate release of political prisoners and all those arrested during the past five months of unrest, and for a democratic and pluralistic Syria.
However, the statement rejected all kinds of foreign interference.
Newsnight's Shaimaa Khalil hears testimony from Syrians who have fled their country to neighbouring Lebanon after protests which have reportedly left 1,100 people dead, hundreds more injured and thousands under arrest.
THE city of Hama is both defiant and fearful. Boys with wooden sticks man makeshift checkpoints. Burned-out government cars, rubbish bins, gates, piles of bricks and street-lamps unscrewed at the base and carefully laid across the road have been used to create blockades to prevent the security forces from re-entering the city. Even satellite dishes, with the name of Al-Dounia, a pro-regime channel, scribbled over with Al-Jazeera, have been used. The streets are eerily quiet; shop shutters are locked and the roads are almost empty of cars. No sign of the Assad regime remains. Pictures of the president, Bashar Assad, have been torn down and a plinth where a statue of his father, Hafez, once towers stands empty. Outside the city, the government's forces wait.
A week ago the government tried re-take the city. In response, residents say, neighbourhoods organised overnight. At least 24 people have been killed in Hama and 500 arrested since the unrest began, but security forces have not been able to enter the main areas of the city of 800,000. The city, the fourth largest in Syria, has been galvanised by its size and by its history. Everyone knows each other and word travels quickly. Everyone has a relative who died in 1982 when Hafez Assad, the former president, killed tens of thousands in an effort to quash an Islamist uprising. Everyone knows someone who lost a son, husband or father on June 3rd, a date now similarly etched on the city's memory, when over 70 people were shot dead. They have been able to organise quickly and effectively.
During the day, the checkpoints are manned by five or six sleepy men or children, perched on concrete steps or lolling on mats in the sweltering heat of the day. At night at least 15 men keep a careful watch. Rich locals bring them food and water. The barriers would be no obstacle to a serious military assault but the government has hesitated so far. Cries of "Allahu Akbar" rang out when security forces approached on Thursday night, almost drowning out the gunfire. The security forces backed off but two men were killed.
Most predicted bloodshed on Friday after almost four weeks of defiance. Tanks and security forces assembled outside the city. Mohamed Mofleh, the head of military security who had been removed at residents' request after the violence of early June, had been reinstated. But a visit by Robert Ford, the American ambassador, gave those demonstrating heart.
On Friday, checkpoints were removed to encourage protesters to enter the city centre. The call to prayer rang out and the city burst into life. On every street, people marched waving olive branches and pink roses. They poured into Aasi Square, where a banner fluttered, emblazoned with the words, "Long live free Syria! Down with Bashar al-Assd!" Two vans parked in the middle of the square functioned as a makeshift podium from which men led the cries: "The people want to topple the regime!"; "No to dialogue! No to Bashar!"
The crowd of thousands repeated the chants back. A Syrian flag, three kilometres long, was paraded up and down the road. Another van drove around distributing free water to thirsty protesters. Men hung off the balconies and rooftops of surrounding buildings, some filming with mobile phones. Fewer women ventured out this week; some were too scared, others had been sent out of the city with their children. But a small group in black abeyas shouted and waved olive branches from the corner of the square.
In the evening the checkpoints reappeared. Drivers had to show their identity cards. But unlike government checkpoints, the boys in charge apologised for having to carry out the checks. At one they offered sweets and a squirt of perfume when they waved people through.
No-one was killed in Hama on Friday but 14 people died elsewhere in Syria. The city remains tense as another week of defiance dawns.
Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have attacked the US and French embassies in Damascus.
The US state department accused Syria of failing to protect the embassy and demanded compensation for the damage. No-one was hurt in the incident.
At the French embassy, guards fired into the air after staff were wounded in a similar attack, officials say.
The incidents come after the US and French ambassadors visited the restive central city of Hama last week.
The separate visits - which both governments said were meant to express solidarity with the anti-government protesters - drew sharp criticism from Damascus.
Pro-government demonstrators have been taking part in protests outside both embassies for the past two days.
The French foreign ministry said three of its employees had been hurt when protesters assaulted the French embassy on Monday.
Security officers fired warning shots "to prevent multiple intrusions into the compound", ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said.
The attack on the American and French embassies follows an escalating war of words between the Damascus authorities and the US ambassador Robert Ford.
After the visits to Hama last week by the US and French ambassadors there were repeated denunciations, particularly of Mr Ford, in the official Syrian media.
He was accused of inciting protests and interfering in Syrian internal affairs. He responded by writing on Facebook that the Syrian government was arresting people without due process and he also rejected the government's repeated claims that its opponents were armed criminal gangs.
Mr Ford was appointed ambassador last year, ending a five year period in which the US had no ambassador in Damascus.
The attack on the embassy, and what US officials described as the Syrian authorities' slow response marks a low point in relations since Mr Ford took up his post.
'Dog'
Meanwhile a US embassy official in Damascus told the BBC that the embassy had come under attack by a "mob".
The official said that the Syrian government had given assurances that they would provide adequate protection for the embassy.
But on this occasion, the authorities were slow to respond, he added.
Witnesses told the Associated Press news agency that the protesters had smashed windows and raised a Syrian flag on the compound.
They also wrote anti-US graffiti referring to the ambassador, Robert Ford, as a "dog", the witnesses said.
Mr Ford's residence, which is not part of the embassy compound, was later briefly assaulted, but the building remained secure, officials said.
In a statement, the US state department said: "We strongly condemn the Syrian government's refusal to protect our embassy, and demand compensation for damages."
The US embassy official told the BBC that the real story in Syria was the fact that the government continued to imprison, torture and kill citizens because they wanted to protest.
Human rights groups say at least 1,400 civilians and 350 security force personnel have been killed since anti-government demonstrations across Syria began in mid-March.
Protesters also targeted the French embassy in Damascus
The Syrian government denies targeting civilians, saying it is tackling armed groups.
The incidents coincide with a government-organised dialogue conference in Damascus that many opposition leaders are boycotting.
The meeting is discussing possible political reforms, which the government hope will bring an end to the four-month-old uprising.
As the conference opened on Sunday, Vice-President Farouq al-Shara hinted at allowing political groups other than the ruling Baath Party to operate.
But Syrian opposition figure Michel Kilo dismissed the meeting saying: "I don't know anyone from the opposition to which I belong who is taking part in this dialogue."
Newsnight's Shaimaa Khalil hears testimony from Syrians who have fled their country to neighbouring Lebanon after protests which have reportedly left 1,100 people dead, hundreds more injured and thousands under arrest.
Protesters have taken to the streets across Syria after Friday prayers, in new rallies against President Bashar al-Assad, activists and witnesses say.
Security forces were said to have used tear gas and gunfire in and around the capital, Damascus, with unconfirmed reports of casualties.
Meanwhile, the EU has expanded sanctions against the Assad government.
It added three members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard and four Syrians to a list of more than 30 people targeted.
The EU's official journal said the three Revolutionary Guard members now subject to sanctions had been "providing equipment and support to help the Syrian regime suppress protests in Syria".
The EU also drafted a declaration condemning the "unacceptable and shocking violence the Syrian regime continues to apply on its own citizens".
EU leaders are expected to endorse the declaration later.
More than 1,300 people have been killed and thousands more detained since a crackdown on anti-government protests began in March, activists say.
'No longer my president'
As in previous weeks, activists appealed to Syrians to join demonstrations after Friday prayers.
As on every Friday for the last 100 days, Syrians across the country took to the streets in large numbers after prayers, despite measures taken by the authorities. Tear gas and gunfire are reported to have been used in Midan in central Damascus and in the suburb of Kiswah.
In the town of Salamia near Homs, where the Ismaili minority predominates, an unprecedented number of protesters marched.
While the government seeks a national dialogue with the opposition, on the ground the situation is still dominated by violence and arrests.
Independent opposition figures are holding the first open meeting on Monday to discuss how to move Syria to a civil and democratic country, but they are determined that there will be no dialogue with authorities until violence is ended.
An appeal on Facebook listed a slogan for this week as: "Bashar is no longer my president and his government no longer represents me."
Thousands of people were reported to have turned out in the Damascus suburb of Irbin, the central cities of Homs and Hama, Deraa in the south, and Qamishli and Deir al-Zour in the east.
Residents in Homs told BBC Arabic that one person had been killed in a protest in the district of Jawret al-Arayeis.
The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Syria told the BBC five people were killed and others were injured as security forces opened fire with live ammunition on protesters leaving a mosque in Kiswah, south of Damascus.
Syria has prevented most foreign journalists from entering the country and reports of unrest are hard to verify.
The Local Coordination Committees, which monitor the Syrian protest movement, had earlier reported military trucks in Damascus suburbs, and said roads in the centre of Homs had been blocked.
Friday's protests come after President Assad offered dialogue and reform on Monday, in his third address to the nation since the start of demonstrations.
Activists dismissed the offers as cosmetic or insufficient, and clashes broke out between supporters of President Assad and anti-government protesters on Tuesday.
Flight into Turkey
In the north, Syrian residents have continued to flee a widening crackdown by the army.
Turkish state media said more than 1,500 people crossed the border from Syria on Thursday after troops and tanks moved into the Syrian border village of Khirbet al-Jouz.
Residents and journalists in the Turkish village Guvecci said they could see military activity across the border.
Activists from the Local Coordinating Committees said snipers were also spotted on roofs.
A total of 11,700 Syrian have sought refuge in Turkey, the Turkish government says.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the reported Syrian troop movements were "very worrisome".
The Iranians added to the EU sanctions list were two Revolutionary Guard commanders, Maj Gen Qasem Soleimani and Brig Cmdr Mohammad Ali Jafari, and the Guard's deputy commander for intelligence, Hossein Taeb.
They will now be subject to having their assets frozen and being banned from travel to the EU.
EU officials did not give details of the equipment or support they were accused of providing to Syria.
A UK foreign office spokesman said the UK welcomed the move. "This sends a clear message to the government of Iran that its provision of equipment and technical advice to help the Syrian regime to quash protest is unacceptable," the spokesman told the BBC.
Newsnight's Sue Lloyd-Roberts goes undercover in the Syrian capital Damascus to speak to opposition activists about the anti-government protests, the regime's response
Syrian state television has broadcast pictures which it says prove that foreign troublemakers are misrepresenting the situation in the country, and that people there are fanatically devoted to President Assad.
At the same time, activists have said the president's troops continued to fire on protesters in various cities, killing seven people, one of whom was reported to be a 13-year-old boy.
But no one outside Syria knows for certain because the regime will not allow foreign journalists access to the country.
Sue Lloyd-Roberts travelled to Damascus for Newsnight, posing as a tourist to make this report in secret.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has blamed anti-government protests on a small group of "saboteurs".
In his third address to the nation since protests began in March, he said Syria should deal with people's demands for reform but that a "small faction" was exploiting popular grievances.
He said a national dialogue would shape Syria's future and urged people who had fled to Turkey to return.
After the speech there were reports of further protests in several cities.
Local co-ordinators for the protesters said that reforms were no longer their demand. The only solution was a change of regime, their spokesman Ali Othman told the BBC.
Other opposition activists said that Mr Assad's speech was addressed to his loyalists - not to his opponents.
But Mr Assad's supporters said the speech was encouraging and responsive to people's demands.
Rights groups say at least 1,300 civilians have been killed in anti-government demonstrations since March, and more than 300 soldiers and police.
The BBC's Jim Muir, reporting from neighbouring Lebanon, says there were no dramatic announcements in Mr Assad's address, and it is unlikely to change the course of events in Syria.
The protesters have long given up on dialogue, he adds, and they believe that the authorities are incapable of serious reform from within and should be overthrown and then held to account.
The speech comes as European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels warned of further sanctions against Syria.
A statement said the sanctions would be aimed at achieving "a fundamental change of policy by the Syrian leadership without delay".
Meanwhile, people who fled a military assault in the north-west of Syria said the army had cut off the border town of Bdama, which had been providing supplies to displaced families.
The main issue in this speech different to the other ones is that he did acknowledge the lawful rights of protesters.
He did acknowledge that there had been martyrs from the civilians as well as the army. And he highlighted that the priority was political not economic reform.
But some of the opposition here that I've managed contact to get their reaction to the speech said it was addressed to those loyal to President Assad and not his opponents.
Protesters said there was no announcement on ending the violence, killings and arrests, nor was there any mention of holding the security services accountable for the killings.
'Vandalism'
Speaking in a televised address to supporters at Damascus University, Mr Assad expressed regret about the protest deaths, saying that they were a great loss to the nation and him personally.
But he said the "saboteurs", who had smeared the image of Syria across the world during the protests, had to be isolated.
"What is happening today has nothing to do with reform, it has to do with vandalism," he said.
"There can be no development without stability, and no reform through vandalism.
"The demands of the street do not justify inflicting damage on the country."
But the Syrian president also said a national dialogue authority was being set up to create a reform plan, and another committee would be created to examine the constitution.
"We must give this dialogue a chance because the future of Syria depends on it," he said, adding that he expected a reform package to be ready by September.
Syrian citizens should be involved in combating corruption at all levels, he added.
He said he had instructed the justice minister to consider expanding a recent amnesty.
Mr Assad also called on thousands of people who had fled into Turkey fearing violence to return to their homes "as soon as possible".
He referred in particular to the residents of Jisr al-Shughour, where armed forces recently took control after violence in which more than 100 security personnel were killed.
"The state will protect them. It is there to protect them," he said.
President Assad's latest speech came a day after opposition activists announced the creation of a body to lead the struggle against the regime.
The council urged people to "co-operate in all cities and provinces of Syria to achieve the legitimate goal of overthrowing the regime and bring it to justice", spokesman Jamil Saib told reporters near the Turkish border, according to the AFP news agency.
Families stranded
Also on Sunday, activists said the army had surrounded Bdama - only 2km (1.2 miles) from Turkey - with checkpoints and was stopping people attempting to head for the Turkish border.
More than 10,000 Syrian refugees have crossed the Turkish border, and Turkish officials say another 10,000 are sheltering on the Syrian side.
The local Turkish governor's office said some Syrians were collecting food at the border to take to the stranded families.
It said there was no question of Turkish soldiers crossing into Syria.
Raka al-Abduh, 23, told AFP that his family fled Bdama on Saturday, but he went back on Sunday morning to get bread.
He reached the village using mountain routes and found it all but abandoned.
"They closed the only bakery there. We cannot get bread any more," he said. "I saw soldiers shooting the owner of the bakery. They hit him in the chest and the leg."
There were also protests overnight in the cities of Hama, Homs, Latakia, Deir al-Zour, Madaya, and several suburbs of Damascus, activists said.
Fresh demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad's regime have erupted across Syria, with reports of at least eight people killed by security forces.
Activists and witnesses said security forces had opened fire in Homs, Damascus, and Deir al-Zour in the east.
Official media played down the size of the protests, but said a number of policemen had been shot and wounded.
Earlier, the Syrian army moved into two northern towns as it seeks to end months of anti-government protests.
Tanks, armoured personnel carriers and buses were used to secure Maarat al-Numan and Khan Sheikhoun, both on the road linking Damascus and Aleppo.
The EU is pressing for a new round of sanctions against Syria.
The UN says that at least 1,100 people have died as the government has cracked down on demonstrations that began in March.
Syrian rights groups put the overall death toll in Syria at 1,297 civilians and 340 security force members.
'Arresting the wounded'
Syria has prevented foreign journalists, including those from the BBC, from entering the country, making it difficult to independently verify reports from there.
But activists and witnesses said security forces had opened fire on demonstrators in several locations.
Witnesses told the BBC that there was a huge demonstration around the al-Nour mosque in Homs.
One resident of Homs said: "My friend has just called me from Khaldea to tell me that one of the protesters there has been killed. I know that another 15 people have been injured too.
"They are even arresting the wounded and taking them to the military hospital," he said.
Activists said there had also been deaths in Damascus, the eastern provincial capital of Deir al-Zour, and the province of Deraa in the south.
In Deir al-Zour, witnesses and residents told Reuters news agency that two protesters were shot dead as they tried to rip down posters of the president.
Witnesses told the BBC that there had been protests in several districts of Damascus. Protesters have placed tyres and stones as roadblocks near the Abu Bakr mosque in the al-Qaboun neighbourhood, they said.
Activists dedicated Friday's protests to Saleh al-Ali, who fought against French colonial rule in the early 20th Century.
Syria's government has blamed the unrest on "armed gangs" and foreign meddling.
State TV reported on Friday that one policeman had been killed and 20 wounded during an attack by "armed groups" in Deir al-Zour.
Fleeing into Turkey
President Assad is facing the gravest threat to his family's 40-year ruling dynasty, as unrest that first erupted in the south of the country has now engulfed the north - near the border with Turkey - and is threatening to spread eastwards towards its border with Iraq.
State television has shown pictures of troops moving into Maarat al-Numan, which is some 40km (25 miles) south-east of Jisr al-Shughour, the town overrun by tanks and troops on Sunday.
It said the army had also moved into Khan Sheikhoun, just south of Maarat al-Numan, to prevent what it called "armed terrorist organisations" from cutting off the highway.
Officials said they were planning a "limited military operation" in Maarat al-Numan to restore security there.
One resident told BBC Arabic the town was very tense and dominated by a "sense of fear".
At least 9,000 Syrian refugees have now fled across the border into Turkey, and Ankara says it will supply humanitarian aid to some 10,000 people who are stranded on the Syrian side of the border.
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One of the owners of a lesbian website who posted comments from a hoax blogger pretending to be a gay woman in Syria has himself been outed as a straight man from the US.
Bill Graber, 58, a US Air Force veteran, admitted he was one of the editors of the LezGetReal lesbian blog.
He posted comments from "Amina Arraf", supposedly a lesbian Syrian blogger, but actually student Tom MacMaster, 40.
When "Amina" was reported detained, activists campaigned for her release.
Mr Graber, who wrote under the name Paula Brooks, is no longer associated with LezGetReal.
In an apology to its readers, one of the other owners, Linda Carbonell, wrote: "The past three days have been devastating for all of us on LezGetReal. 'Paula Brooks' has been a part of our lives for three years now."
Betrayal of trust
Mr Graber told the Associated Press news agency he set up LezGetReal to advance the gay and lesbian cause. He said he felt he would not be taken seriously as a straight man.
"LezGetReal was not meant to be deceitful or con anyone," he said.
On Monday, Mr MacMaster, originally from the US state of Georgia but now a student at the University of Edinburgh, said he was sorry for posing as a Syrian lesbian.
He has now re-titled the blog, originally A Gay Girl in Damascus, simply as A Hoax.
In his second apology, he wrote: "I never meant to hurt anyone. I am really truly sorry and I feel awful about this... I betrayed the trust of a great many people, the friendship that was honestly and openly offered to me, and played with the emotions of others unfairly.
This deception... has sown confusion, distraction and absorbed energy and attention at a time when real people are in danger in Syria and in other countries in the region.”
"I have distracted the world's attention from important issues of real people in real places."
Activists and bloggers angrily criticised Mr MacMaster when he admitted he had created the Amina blog five months ago. In it, he described life in Damascus and the current political unrest.
In an open letter to Mr MacMaster on the OGay Middle East blog, activist Sami Hamwi wrote: "Your apology is not accepted, since I have myself started to investigate Amina's arrest. I could have put myself in a grave danger inquiring about a fictitious figure. Really… Shame on you!!!"
'Stand-up guy'
Mr Graber defended his actions, saying he had helped unmask Mr MacMaster by tracking his posts to computer servers in Edinburgh.
"He would have got away with it if I hadn't been such a stand-up guy," Mr Graber told AP.
Entries on the Amina blog covered "her" social life and relationships, but also criticised President Bashar al-Assad and spoke about "her" role in the growing anti-government protests.
On 6 June, a post purporting to be written by Amina's cousin said she had been seized by armed men believed to be members of President Assad's Baath party.
The news was widely reported, including by the BBC. Bloggers and activists launched an online campaign to secure her release.
Mr MacMaster told BBC Scotland he had wanted people to listen to the facts without paying attention to "the man behind the curtain".
The US has renewed calls on Syria to halt its crackdown on anti-government protests.
Damascus says its forces are pursuing rebels through the countryside around Jisr al-Shughour, after consolidating control over the northern town.
Witnesses say troops are pursuing a "scorched earth" strategy in the area, destroying houses and crops.
The government insists it is tackling armed groups which it says have been targeting security forces.
Condemning the crackdown, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "President [Bashar al-]Assad needs to engage in political dialogue. A transition needs to take place. If President Assad does not lead that transition, then he should step aside," he told reporters.
"What happened there over the weekend and what continues to occur is absolutely revolting, and we condemn these barbaric acts in the strongest possible terms," State Department spokesman Mark Toner also said.
Refugees and activists still inside Syria said troops and tanks were cutting off and attacking villages to the east and north of Jisr al-Shughour, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
They are also reported to be heading towards the town of Maarat al-Numan, to the south-east, where the state media had reported attacks on government buildings and security headquarters in recent days.
As demonstrations against the regime continue to break out, often at night, in many parts of the country, activists report that several parts of the coastal city of Latakia have been sealed off by troops, reports the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.
Soldiers are also reported to have been deployed at Deir az-Zor, in the east, and in some suburbs of Damascus, where protests continue.
There is now a split within the army and you have a group who are trying to protect the civilians”
End QuoteSyrian refugee
On Sunday, troops were confronted by other soldiers trying to defend people in Jisr al-Shughour, according to Syrian refugees who have crossed into Turkey.
Elements from one tank division had even taken up positions by bridges leading into the town in a bid to defend it, they said.
"There is now a split within the army and you have a group who are trying to protect the civilians," one refugee told the AFP news agency.
The government says it has been trying to restore order after 120 security personnel were killed in Jisr al-Shughour last week.
Residents say they died after a mutiny and fighting between security forces.
Syria has prevented foreign journalists, including those from the BBC, from entering the country, making it difficult to independently verify reports from there.
'Miserable' conditions
Hundreds of Syrians have been massing on the border with Turkey, preparing to cross over if the army advances.
Turkey has already taken in thousands of refugees.
The BBC's Jonathan Head on the Turkish-Syrian border says these people have been badly frightened and do not want to return home until the Assad regime falls.
They have been in the border area for several days without proper shelter or food, he adds.
In central Syria, people have told BBC Arabic that a protest has taken off in the city of Hama and is heading to the government headquarters in the city.
About 2,000 people are participating in the march, organised by lawyers' and engineers' associations.
This is the first such protest called for by the professional groups since the beginning of the protests in Syria.
And according to sources close to the Arab League, some member states have introduced a draft resolution to suspend Syria's participation in meetings of the group's council, in protest at the crackdown.
Protests against President Assad, who succeeded his father Hafez in 2000, began in mid-March.
Human rights groups say at least 1,300 people have been killed in the crackdown.
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Protesters erected Syrian flags on the US embassy complex 
Refugees' stories 
THE city of Hama is both defiant and fearful. Boys with wooden sticks man makeshift checkpoints. Burned-out government cars, rubbish bins, gates, piles of bricks and street-lamps unscrewed at the base and carefully laid across the road have been used to create blockades to prevent the security forces from re-entering the city. Even satellite dishes, with the name of Al-Dounia, a pro-regime channel, scribbled over with Al-Jazeera, have been used. The streets are eerily quiet; shop shutters are locked and the roads are almost empty of cars. No sign of the Assad regime remains. Pictures of the president, Bashar Assad, have been torn down and a plinth where a statue of his father, Hafez, once towers stands empty. Outside the city, the government's forces wait.
Dodging Syrian patrols
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