Anti-Assad nations meet as Syrian killings continue

The United States, Europe and some Arab nations are meeting in London today as a prelude to the a 'friends of Syria' initiative to stop the killing of civilians in that country by the security forces.

The group comprising senior government officials is scheduled to hold a conference in Tunis on Friday to pressure President Bashar al-Assad to agree to a ceasefire and urgently allow humanitarian aid in areas hardest hit by his regime's crackdown on protesters.

Assad would be asked to accept a ceasefire within 72 hours or face actions, according to reports.

But military intervention is very unlikely - any action against Syria is likely to follow the current Western method of tightening trade sanctions.

Today marked the 20th day of a continuous bombardment on the regime's opponents, which has claimed hundreds of civilian lives in one of the deadliest campaigns in nearly a year of violent repression by President Assad's regime. Reports said tanks had been pressed into contested areas.

Most of the shelling is occurring in the central city of Homs; and the international community is calling for the creation of humanitarian corridors to reach the sick, the wounded and the frail.