35 dead in Syria as observers embolden protestors

Pro-democracy activists said the death of 35 persons on Friday happened after protesters, emboldened by the presence of Arab League observers in the country, took to the streets after noon Muslim prayers.

Running battles were fought at one of the largest rallies, in the Damascus suburb of Douma. Activists accused security forces of firing live rounds, nail bombs and tear gas.

The UK-based Syrian Human Rights Observatory said more than half a million people turned out for the largest demonstrations in months.

Syrian activists called on Thursday for the removal of the head of the Arab League monitoring team in a new blow to the credibility of the mission.

The opposition has condemned the observers' presence as a farce to enable Assad to buy time and avoid more international censure and sanctions.

The 60 monitors are the first set of observers allowed in to the country during the nine-month uprising.

Their job is to ensure that the Syrian government is complying with the terms of the Arab League's plan to end the crackdown on protests.

However pro-democracy activists, doubt whether the observers are getting the access they need to be able to give a fair assessment of the violence that the UN estimates has left more than 5,000 people dead.