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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| Syria Qubair: Bloody traces of massacre seen in village | Syria Qubair: Bloody traces of massacre seen in village |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The smell of burnt flesh and evidence of bloodshed have greeted a BBC correspondent entering the village of Qubair in Syria, scene of a massacre. | The smell of burnt flesh and evidence of bloodshed have greeted a BBC correspondent entering the village of Qubair in Syria, scene of a massacre. |
| Our correspondent, travelling with UN monitors, found buildings gutted and burnt, but no sign of people in the tiny village near the city of Hama. | Our correspondent, travelling with UN monitors, found buildings gutted and burnt, but no sign of people in the tiny village near the city of Hama. |
| Violence continues across Syria, with reports that the central city of Homs came under heavy shelling. | Violence continues across Syria, with reports that the central city of Homs came under heavy shelling. |
| Elsewhere, state TV reported two deadly car bomb attacks. | Elsewhere, state TV reported two deadly car bomb attacks. |
| Condemning the Qubair massacre earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned of an imminent danger of civil war and the international peace envoy, Kofi Annan, said his six-point peace plan was not being implemented. | Condemning the Qubair massacre earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned of an imminent danger of civil war and the international peace envoy, Kofi Annan, said his six-point peace plan was not being implemented. |
| As many as 78 people are said to have been killed in the Qubair attack. State media gave a figure of nine. | |
| The opposition blamed it on militia allied to President Bashar al-Assad while the government accused "terrorists" of killing civilians. | The opposition blamed it on militia allied to President Bashar al-Assad while the government accused "terrorists" of killing civilians. |
| Clandestine activists say government forces removed many of the bodies while the UN observers were being hindered from reaching the village on Thursday, coming under fire at one stage. | Clandestine activists say government forces removed many of the bodies while the UN observers were being hindered from reaching the village on Thursday, coming under fire at one stage. |
| UN monitors finally reached Qubair on Friday, with the BBC's Paul Danahar accompanying them. | |
| Lebanese scenario? | Lebanese scenario? |
| Analysts say the major fear is that Syria falls victim to the kind of sectarian violence that tore Lebanon apart for decades. | Analysts say the major fear is that Syria falls victim to the kind of sectarian violence that tore Lebanon apart for decades. |
| The militiamen accused of the killings are known as shabiha, and are mainly from the minority Alawite community of President Bashar al-Assad. | The militiamen accused of the killings are known as shabiha, and are mainly from the minority Alawite community of President Bashar al-Assad. |
| We are here. In front of a burnt-out building is the carcass of a donkey. Inside, the buildings are gutted. The UN have not found any people yet. | We are here. In front of a burnt-out building is the carcass of a donkey. Inside, the buildings are gutted. The UN have not found any people yet. |
| The largest of the two houses on the hilltop has been gutted by fire. The stench of burnt flesh is still strong. In front of me there is a piece of brain, in the corner there is a mass on congealed blood. | The largest of the two houses on the hilltop has been gutted by fire. The stench of burnt flesh is still strong. In front of me there is a piece of brain, in the corner there is a mass on congealed blood. |
| The village is just a few single-storey flat-roofed buildings set in the middle of golden corn fields. | The village is just a few single-storey flat-roofed buildings set in the middle of golden corn fields. |
| The victims appear to be mostly Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority of the population. | The victims appear to be mostly Sunni Muslims, who make up the majority of the population. |
| Speaking at the UN in New York on Thursday, Mr Ban warned the danger of full-scale war was "imminent and real". | Speaking at the UN in New York on Thursday, Mr Ban warned the danger of full-scale war was "imminent and real". |
| While the Annan plan remained the focus of peace efforts, he said, urgent talks were needed on how further to proceed. | While the Annan plan remained the focus of peace efforts, he said, urgent talks were needed on how further to proceed. |
| The US is demanding decisive action, and Mr Annan is pushing for a contact group of key nations to raise pressure for an end to the violence. | The US is demanding decisive action, and Mr Annan is pushing for a contact group of key nations to raise pressure for an end to the violence. |
| But in a news conference in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin refused to answer repeated questions about whether his government would support the initiative. | But in a news conference in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin refused to answer repeated questions about whether his government would support the initiative. |
| "We believe that the importance of envoy Annan's mediation efforts has not diminished but rather increased," he said. | "We believe that the importance of envoy Annan's mediation efforts has not diminished but rather increased," he said. |
| Both China and Russia have twice blocked Security Council resolutions against Syria and have restated their opposition to outside military intervention in the conflict. | Both China and Russia have twice blocked Security Council resolutions against Syria and have restated their opposition to outside military intervention in the conflict. |
| 'Homs shelled' | 'Homs shelled' |
| On Friday, clandestine activists said government forces had resumed shelling the Khaldiyeh area of Homs, which is controlled by rebels. | On Friday, clandestine activists said government forces had resumed shelling the Khaldiyeh area of Homs, which is controlled by rebels. |
| "Khaldiyeh is being subjected to five to 10 shells a minute in the worst shelling since the revolution began," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement. | "Khaldiyeh is being subjected to five to 10 shells a minute in the worst shelling since the revolution began," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement. |
| Other attacks were reported across the country | |
| |
| About 200 people are said to have died on Wednesday and Thursday, in figures which could not be confirmed independently. | About 200 people are said to have died on Wednesday and Thursday, in figures which could not be confirmed independently. |
| The UN says at least 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In April, the Syrian government reported that 6,143 Syrian citizens had been killed by "terrorist groups". | The UN says at least 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In April, the Syrian government reported that 6,143 Syrian citizens had been killed by "terrorist groups". |
| The UN has 297 unarmed observers in Syria to verify the implementation of Mr Annan's plan. | The UN has 297 unarmed observers in Syria to verify the implementation of Mr Annan's plan. |