Damascus: President Bashar al-Assad`s regime pressed its deadly campaign to crush dissent on Monday, reportedly pounding northern rebel strongholds as it brushed off a "Friends of Syria" meeting as a failure.

An explosion ripped through central Damascus today morning, injuring several people and damaging shops near a police station, Syrian television and witnesses said. Violence elsewhere killed at least three people, as international peacebroker Kofi Annan prepared to brief the UN Security Council after Western and Arab nations sought a deadline for Damascus to implement his peace plan.

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The call was issued in Istanbul at a meeting yesterday of the so-called Friends of Syria group seeking to end the bloodshed.

Nations at the conference -- including Arab League members, the United States, France and Germany -- steered clear of backing opposition appeals for arms to fight the regime clampdown.

The opposition Syrian National Council, which is funded by some Gulf Arab states, said it would pay the salaries of rebel fighters of the Free Syrian Army seeking to topple the Assad regime.

In a final declaration, the conference urged UN-Arab League envoy Annan "to determine a timeline for next steps, including a return to the UN Security Council, if the killing continues."

"The regime will be judged by its deeds rather than its promises. The window of opportunity for the regime to implement its commitments to joint special envoy Annan is not open-ended," it added. Assad had on Tuesday said he accepted Annan`s six-point plan.

The plan calls for an end to violence, a humanitarian ceasefire and access to all restive areas, as well as an inclusive Syrian-led political process, the right to demonstrate, and the release of people detained arbitrarily.

Official Syrian media belittled the conference, however, with one newspaper saying the gathering of what it called the "Enemies of Syria" was a failure for those seeking to overthrow Assad.
PTI