Turkey sees flood of refugees

A record number of refugees have fled the violence in Syria into Turkey as a deadline for a cease-fire promised by the government quickly approaches.

Turkish officials said more than 2,800 Syrians arrived on Thursday and Friday - more than double the previously highest number entering on a single day. That puts the total number of Syrian refugees in Turkey at nearly 24,000.

A diplomatic source told the AFP news agency that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu phoned United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon early Friday and urged him to "send officials to see the situation on the ground."

"The Syrian army backed by helicopters is carrying out operations in the border regions," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Syrian government has blamed the violence on "armed terrorist gangs," and the state news agency SANA quoted a foreign ministry letter to UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay accusing her of "bias against Syria" and turning a "blind eye to terrorism targeting the Syrian people at the hands of armed groups with an external funding."

Greater violence ahead of cease-fire

Fighting has sharply increased in Syria ahead of an April 10 deadline for the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to begin implementing a cease-fire with rebels. All forms of violence are to be halted by April 12.

The cease-fire is part of a peace plan proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, who said "more far-reaching action is urgently required" in order to meet the deadline. The increase in violence has led to skepticism in the West that Assad will adhere to his promise of a cease-fire.

Activists on Friday reported assaults with heavy machine guns and mortars in Rastan, just north of Homs, and an increasing government offensive in the Damascus suburbs of Douma, Saqba and Arbeen. Activists described the military's entry into Douma on Thursday as one of the most violent attacks near the capital since the anti-government uprising began more than a year ago.

"Cities, towns and villages have been turned into war zones. The sources of violence are proliferating," Ban told the UN General Assembly on Thursday. "The human rights of the Syrian people continue to be violated... Humanitarian needs are growing dramatically."

acb/ipj (AFP, AP, Reuters)