Damascus lockdown

Syrian security forces held their positions in the capital, Damascus, on Monday after their deployment over the weekend following the capital's biggest anti-regime protests since the beginning of the uprising 11 months ago.

Troops were stationed near government buildings and in residential areas, Damascus-based activist Mohamed al-Aliaa told news agency dpa. Army checkpoints have also been set up in the suburb of Mazzeh, which houses numerous embassies.

Police vehicles and militia jeeps were patrolling the neighborhood and security agents were out on foot stopping men at random to check their identification, reports said.

The heavy police deployment was aimed at stopping any protests in the capital before they started. Activists had said that "huge protests" would be held in the city.

Activist Abu Huzaifa from the Mazzeh Committee said security forces had forced the family of a 34-year-old protester who was shot dead on Saturday to hold his funeral early in the morning on Sunday, apparently to avoid more protests. Funerals for slain protesters have often turned into protests of their own, as was the case on Saturday when people were mourning the deaths of four people - two of them teenagers - who had been killed the previous day.

"The funerals in Mazzeh turned into protests - it was the closest major gathering to Omayyad Square" in the city center, Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the AFP news agency.

As the government of President Bashar al-Assad steps up pressure on opposition groups within the country, outside it the international community has continued to broaden dialogue in a bid to put an end to the ongoing violence. The opposition Syrian National Council said Monday it would attend the "Friends of Syria" conference due to be held in Tunisia on Friday, despite reported objections by Russia and China.

Judge, prosecutor and driver killed

Meanwhile, the state news agency SANA said Idlib provincial state prosecutor Nidal Ghazal, Judge Mohammed Ziadeh and their driver were all shot dead in their car on Sunday by unidentified gunmen. The province, which borders Turkey, has been one of the hardest hit in the government's crackdown on protests.

Security forces also continued their bombardment of the rebellious city of Homs on Sunday for the 15th straight day. Activists and Syrian state media reported at least 14 people were killed on Sunday alone.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the assault on the city, and more than 6,000 have been killed since Syria's uprising began, activists say.

International efforts to end the violence have been stalled by Russia and China, who have vetoed resolutions condemning the violence in the UN Security Council. Chinese Foreign Minister Zhai Jun met with President Assad on Saturday, expressing support for his plan to hold a referendum and multi-party elections within four months - plans which Western countries have denounced as a farce.

dfm, acb/slk (AFP, AP, Reuters)