Beirut: Syrian activists deplored the outcome of an international ‘Friends of Syria' conference, saying on Saturday that the world had abandoned them to be killed by forces loyal to President Bashar Al Assad.

The Syrian military took its bombardment of the rebel-held Baba Amr district of Homs into a fourth week as the Red Cross tried to evacuate more distressed civilians from the city.

"Negotiations have resumed with Syrian authorities and the opposition in order to continue evacuating all persons in need of help," said Hesham Hassan, spokesman of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva. "We hope to be able to carry out many more life-saving operations," he said. "We are hopeful the ICRC will also enter Baba Amr today."

But activists in Homs were despondent about Friday's Friends of Syria meeting in Tunis and suspicious of the ICRC's efforts because they involved the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, viewed as compromised by its links with the government.

"We refuse to work with the local Red Crescent," said Nadir Al Hussaini. "The government's demand to use the Red Crescent is a dirty trick because this group is not independent, it is under the control of the regime. We have no trust in them."

The ICRC said the Syrian Red Crescent had evacuated a total of 27 women and children from Baba Amr on Friday.

Al Hussaini described desperate conditions in Baba Amr, where efforts to extract three Western journalists and the bodies of two others killed there on Wednesday have yet to succeed.

"It would be good if they [the ICRC] could bring in some aid. But even if they brought us some medical supplies how much would it really help? We have hundreds of wounded people crammed into houses all around the neighbourhood," Al Hussaini said.

"People are dying from lack of blood because we just don't have the capability of treating everyone. I don't think any amount they could bring in would really help."

The Tunis conference of Western, Arab and other countries was intended to ratchet up diplomatic pressure on Al Assad.

Syria not invited

Iraq will not invite the Syrian government or opposition to an Arab summit to be held in Baghdad in late March, Iraq's foreign minister said in an interview broadcast on Friday.

"Syria is not invited and we will not send an invitation to it" to attend the summit, Hoshyar Zebari said in an interview with Iraqiya television.

"The decision about Syria's participation is not our decision, but rather is the decision of the Arab League, and we are committed to the Arab League's decision," he said.

He added that "there is a long time from now until the date of the summit, and by discussion... we will clarify this subject".

Zebari said that the Syrian opposition will also not be invited.