International community distrusts Damascus, braces for further measures

Yet, it seems that Syria's official statement didn't please the United States and some Arab officials that have upped their anti- Syria rhetoric and warned of the possibility of arming the Syrian opposition. The incessant violence in Syrian cities was also a matter for those officials to search for other options.

Following talks with Saudi officials Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed worries that Syrian government might "conclude an agreement, then refuse to implement it."

She, along with foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has urged Annan to put a timetable for Syria's future steps.

"We are discussing all options, including aiding the Syrian opposition," Clinton said, adding that she would press during the "Friends of Syria" meeting in Turkey's city of Istanbul to unite the Syrian opposition.

For his part, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said Saturday that his country supports the armament of the Syrian opposition "because it can't defend itself but by weapons."

Fractured opposition belies government intentions, calls for arming rebels

Hours ahead of the "Friend of Syria" conference, Burhan Ghalioun, leader of the broad-based opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), contended that Assad's acceptance of Annan's initiative was another "lie and a maneuver" to gain time. "We have no illusions over the possibility of the mission's success because Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian regime have no credibility to engage in a political process," he said.

Another dissident, Haitham Maleh, who has recently defected from the SNC, said that "nothing would work with Assad regime but the logic of force," dismissing Annan's mission as "failure."

Maleh reportedly stressed that neither the Arab League nor Annan's mission would help to curve the bloodletting in Syria, asserting that "the only way to put an end to this tragedy is through arming the Free Syrian Army to break the regime by force."

Moreover, Ghalioun urged "Friends of Syria" conference to back the arming of Syrian rebels. "We have repeatedly called for the arming of the Free Syrian Army. We want the 'Friends of Syria' conference to live up to this demand," he said at a press conference in Istanbul.

More than 70 representatives from Western and Arab countries will huddle in Istanbul Sunday to allegedly hammer out a solution to Syria's crisis. High on the agenda of the Istanbul meeting is the buffer zone proposed by Turkey to enable the rebel Free Syrian Army fighters to launch their attacks against the regular Syrian army freely.

Syrian analysts believe that this proposal would also put Annan's mission in jeopardy. The first "Friends of Syria" meeting was held in Tunisia in February, but failed to facilitate a settlement of the crisis.

According to analysts, the Syrian opposition groups should deal positively with Annan's peace plan to spare the country a looming civil war and an overall destruction to entire region.

They believe that the plan could create suitable climate for an organized and systematical peaceful transition without undermining Syria's stability.

The United Nations said Tuesday the number of people killed since the unrest began in March last year has exceeded 9,000, while the Syrian government blamed the unrest on armed extremists backed by regional and international powers, saying that more than 2,500 army and security personnel have been killed over the yearlong crisis.