Russian FM in Syria amid escalating violence

BEIRUT (AP) -- Thousands of Syrians waving Russian flags cheered Russia's foreign minister as he arrived in Damascus Tuesday for talks with embattled President Bashar Assad on the country's escalating violence.

Sergey Lavrov's visit comes days after Syrian allies Russia and China vetoed a Western- and Arab-backed resolution at the United Nations that would have condemned the Assad regime's crackdown on dissent and calling on him to transfer some of his powers to his deputy. The Syrian government had rejected the Arab plan as intervention in Syria's internal affairs.

Regime forces, meanwhile, stepped up an assault on the flashpoint city of Homs, using tanks and machine guns in a push to recover rebel-held districts.

Live footage from the capital showed Lavrov's convoy snaking its way along the Mazzeh boulevard among a sea of Assad supporters who turned up to express gratitude for Moscow's supportive stance. The foreign minister and Russia's foreign intelligence chief Mikhail Fradkov were headed to the presidential palace to meet with Assad.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_SYRIA?SITE=TNMEM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Syria crisis: Russia's Sergei Lavrov meets Assad.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in Syria for talks with President Bashar al-Assad amid an upsurge in violence in the restive city of Homs.

He was greeted by pro-Assad crowds as he arrived in Damascus. Mr Lavrov's visit comes after Russia and China vetoed a Western-backed UN resolution criticising the crackdown in Syria.

Government forces have been pounding the rebel stronghold of Homs for days.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16920922