The Syrian military gunned down another 24 civilians on Saturday, mostly in the city of Homs. The carnage came after President Bashar Assad promised the Arab League that he would present a package of political reforms at their meeting on Monday.

Haaretz:

At least 24 civilians were killed Saturday in governmental swoops in several areas of Syria, mainly in Homs, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a group of grassroots activists.

It added that Syrian army troops were carrying out raids in the north-western province of Idlib.

Footage posted by activists on the internet showed what they described as a mass protest in the province of Daraa near the Syrian border with Turkey.

The protesters denounced the government of Assad and objected to a visit to Damascus by the head of the Arab League, Nabil a-Arabi.

In remarks he made in Cairo late Saturday after returning from Damascus, al-Arabi said he had agreed with Assad on fulfilling "reform steps."

"These steps will be presented to a meeting of the Arab League due to be held on Monday," al-Arabi added, without elaborating.

"I insisted during the meeting with President Assad on the necessity of taking immediate steps to stop violence and bloodshed in Syria," he said.

The Arab League plan calls for political reforms to be phased in for three years at which time elections would be held. The protestors, of course, have rejected this idiocy. They want Assad out now and the prospect of having him in power for another three years is ridiculous.

Poor, deluded fools.