Dubai: Syrian forces bombarded the city of Rastan for a second straight day, as former UN chief Kofi Annan and other world envoys prepared a diplomatic drive to end the bloodshed in Syria.
Annan, who has been named special envoy for the United Nations and Arab League is due in Damascus on Saturday and will be accompanied by his deputy, former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser Al Qudwa.
UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos will visit Damascus from Wednesday to Friday about a week after the Syrian regime denied her travel requests.
During her visit she will urge all sides to allow unhindered access for humanitarian relief workers so they can evacuate the wounded and deliver essential supplies.
As concerns mount over a humanitarian crisis, Saudi Arabia said that Syrians have a right to take up arms to defend themselves against the regime and accuses the Damascus government of "imposing itself by force."
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal said the kingdom welcomed international efforts to broker a ceasefire in Syria but added that they have "failed to stop the massacres."
"Is there something greater than the right to defend oneself and to defend human rights?" he asked, adding that the Syrian people want to defend themselves. "The regime is not wanted by the people," he said. "The regime is insisting on imposing itself by force on the Syrian people," he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was to meet on Saturday in Cairo with his Arab counterparts to discuss its ally Syria. "Considering the urgency of the Syria issue, when collective approaches for a settlement need to be found, we view this as a valuable and important format," he said.
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Weimin said that China's former ambassador to Damascus, Li Huaxin, would travel to Syria on Wednesday for meetings with the government and other parties.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Rastan, which activists expect to be the next target of a drive by regime forces to expel rebels who have regrouped from Homs, 20km away, came under renewed shelling.
