Iraq Says Syria Opposition to Visit Next Week

Representatives of Syria's opposition will visit Iraq next week as part of Baghdad's efforts to end nine months of unrest in the country, National Security Adviser Falah al-Fayadh said on Monday.

"The Syrian opposition will visit Iraq next week," Fayadh told state broadcaster Al-Iraqiyah TV. He did not give any further details of the visit.

Fayadh said Baghdad's "analysis is that the government in Syria will not fall like Hosni Mubarak fell," referring to the deposed Egyptian strongman who left power in February in the face of mass pro-democracy protests.

"But the (Syrian) regime will end in a civil war, and it is common sense that this will be negative for Iraq and against its interests," he said.

Syria agreed Monday to allow Arab observers to monitor a deal to end a nine-month protest crackdown, in a move dismissed by the opposition as a ploy and followed by even more reports of bloodshed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said between 60 and 70 army deserters were gunned down as they fled their military posts in northwestern Idlib province, while the Local Coordination Committees, the main activist group spurring protests on the ground, said another 25 civilians were killed across the country.

The reports came as the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution condemning human rights abuses in Syria.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in the crackdown on nationwide democracy protests that erupted in mid-March, according to the U.N.'s latest estimate issued a week ago.