US, Italy call for Syria sanctions

The United States and Italy on Thursday discussed sanctions against the Syrian government for its suppression of unrest, including suspension of cooperation talks with the European Union. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told a news conference after talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the sanctions would also include travel restrictions on senior Syrian officials. Clinton said there was deep concern over the situation in Syria and the government of President Bashar Al Assad must stop violence against its own people. The calls for sanctions followed the hundreds of Syrian soldiers in combat gear who stormed the Damascus suburb of Saqba overnight, broke into houses and made arrests, a resident said Thursday. "They cut off communications before they came in. There is no resistance. The demonstrations in Saqba have been peaceful. Scores of people have been arrested," the resident, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters. Thousands of people marched in a demonstration in Saqba last Friday demanding the removal of President Bashar Al Assad. '1,000 arrested since Saturday' More than 1,000 people have been arrested in Syria since Saturday in what activists term an "insane escalation" of a crackdown by authorities to quell protests sweeping across the country since March. Rights activist Ammar Qurabi claimed the arrests have "transformed Syria into a large prison". Hundreds have been charged with ‘maligning the prestige of the state', a charge that carries a three-year sentence. Despite the crackdown, thousands gathered in Baniyas on Tuesday to express solidarity with the people in the flashpoint town of Daraa, under a brutal siege for a week. 'Detainees mistreated' Amnesty International has reported mistreatment of detainees. Many people have been reported missing with Al Jazeera journalist Dorothy Parvaz and pro-reform writer Omar Koush not being heard of since arriving at Damascus airport on Friday and Monday. Meanwhile, a convoy of 30 Republican Guard tanks and up to 70 trucks filled with soldiers was seen in Damascus, a witness said, adding that they were heading to Daraa or Homs. Residents also said tanks and armoured personnel carriers had been deploying at the northern edge of the restive town of Rastan since yesterday morning. The deployment followed the failure of a meeting between residents and a ruling Ba'ath Party official.