35 Dead as Opposition Says Assad Speech an 'Incitement to Violence'

The Syrian National Council (SNC) branded Tuesday's speech by President Bashar al-Assad an "incitement to violence," indicating "more criminal behavior" by the regime.

"There is incitement to violence, incitement to civil strife, some talks about sectarian divisions which the regime itself has fomented and encouraged," Basma Qadmani, a member of the SNC, the largest opposition umbrella group, said at a press conference in Istanbul.

Assad blamed foreign plotters Tuesday for unprecedented 10-month-old protests against his regime and vowed to crush their "terrorism" with an iron fist.

In a rare televised address just hours before the U.N. Security Council was due to discuss the bloodshed, Assad denied the security forces had orders to open fire on civilian demonstrators even as activists said 35 more had been shot dead.

The Local Coordination Committees, the main activist group spurring protests on the ground, said security forces shot dead 17 people in the eastern oil hub of Deir al-Zour, 12 in the flashpoint central province of Homs, one in the central province of Hama, three in the northern region of al-Qameshli and two in the northwestern province of Idlib.

For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces shot dead 10 civilians and wounded 40 others as they took part in a peaceful protest in Deir al-Zour.

"An Observatory activist in Deir al-Zour said what he witnessed today was a real massacre," the Observatory said in a statement sent to Agence France Presse.

"Most of the martyrs were youths who were demonstrating peacefully and in a civilized manner," the Britain-based group added.

The Observatory said another two civilians were killed by security forces' gunfire in the central city of Homs, a bastion of the uprising against the Assad regime.

In the northwestern province of Idlib, a soldier who tried to desert the regular army was "killed by his officer in the middle of al-Wahda square in the town of Iblin," said the rights group.

In Douma, on the northern outskirts of Damascus, more than 10,000 people attended the funeral of a dissident soldier who was killed on Monday, before all but about 100 of them were dispersed by the security forces, it added.

"Our concern today is that such a speech is quite indicative of the total dismissal by the regime of the international community," Qadmani said at a press conference in Istanbul.

"And that is an indication that we are going in the direction of more irresponsible and more criminal behavior by the regime in the coming days and weeks."

Qadmani also said Assad's speech indicated that the regime "is breaking up with the Arab League," which has sent observers to Syria in a bid to try to halt the bloodshed that the U.N. says has killed over 5,000 people.

"This is a turning point, a rupture with its Arab environment," she added in remarks in English.

"The word democracy has hardly appeared in this discourse, we have seen much speech about reforms but we haven't heard of any progress at any level since 11 months and the beginning of the revolution."

Assad's speech came hours before the U.N. Security Council was due to discuss the bloodshed in the country.

Qadmani called on the U.N. to take action to stop killings.

"Our next step therefore is to go in a speedy way to the Security Council with the support of the Arab countries which are now convinced that this regime has not cooperated during the (Arab League) mission and is quite unlikely to cooperate in any manner," she said.

"This is a message that members of the Security Council should carefully read and understand that by preventing decisive action by the council ... the regime is encouraged to continue its crimes," she said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the head of the opposition SNC, Burhan Ghalioun, expressed alarm about Assad's "dangerous speech in which he stated his determination to use violence against our own people."

"He has cut short any Arab or other initiative to find a solution to the crisis," Ghalioun said, adding the speech showed Assad's "determination to divide and push the country towards civil war."

Ghalioun called on the world community to "work to ensure the international protection of Syrian civilians," while urging the Arab League to turn to the Security Council for help.

The SNC hit out at the Arab League over their report which said the "killing has been reduced" and had recommended that a team of Arab monitors continue their mission.

Assad said that the unrest would only come to an end "when the flow of funds and weapons coming from abroad stops."

"Regional and international parties who are trying to destabilize Syria can no longer falsify the facts and events," the embattled leader said in a speech lasting nearly two hours.

He hit out at émigré opponents of his rule, accusing them of being tools of foreign powers.

"We don't want an opposition that takes signals from abroad ... We want a national opposition," he said.

Assad said that restoring security was the "absolute priority" for Syria and pledged his government would tackle terrorism with an "iron fist," after a Damascus suicide bombing killed 26 people on Friday.

"There can be no let-up for terrorism -- it must be hit with an iron fist," he said.

"The battle with terrorism is a battle for everyone, a national battle, not only the government's battle," said Assad.

"We must deal with terrorism through all legal methods. They have struck innocents ... they are killing the Syrian people."