Syria continues crackdown despite foreign appeals

THE Syrian army launched raids on rebel areas yesterday, defying growing international reproach over the regime’s crackdown on the five-month-old uprising.

Turkey’s foreign minister met with President Bashar Assad yesterday to express his concern as envoys from India, Brazil and South Africa also headed to Damascus to press for an end to the bloodshed, which activists say has killed about 1,700 people since March.

The visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is significant because Turkey until recently had close ties to Damascus. But Ankara has become increasingly critical of its neighbour over the bloodshed. Turkey’s state-run news agency confirmed that Assad met Davutoglu.