Fierce fighting intensifies near Damascus

Fierce Fighting between government and opposition forces is intensifying in a suburb of the Syrian capital, involving children, women, and hospitals, activists say.

A local human rights group said government forces staged fierce attacks on hospitals in Douma near Damascus on Friday and Saturday, causing many deaths and injuries.The forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad sealed off Douma. Women and children are left in the town with no place to go, and electricity and water have been stopped.Government forces showed no sign of holding back their attack on the Free Syrian Army, even as UN Security Council permanent members and Arab ministers met in Geneva on Saturday to discuss the crisis.
 An international conference on Syria's crisis  agreed to call for a transition to democratic government, but participating nations failed to see eye to eye on the future of President Bashar al-Assad.Meeting in Geneva on Saturday was brokered by UN envoy Kofi Annan and attended by foreign ministers of the 5 UN Security Council permanent members and Arab League countries.A statement issued after the meeting said the people of Syria are asking for a true democratic country and proposes a plan to establish a transitional administration that includes members from both the Assad government and the opposition.

Annan welcomed the agreement. He told reporters the participants at the conference will work to influence both parties in Syria to stop the violence.The Western powers and Russia were at odds over the future of the Syrian president. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed that Assad should know his time in power will come to an end soon. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that the transitional plan does not stipulate Assad's ouster. Russia has been a strong supporter of the Assad regime.