Syrian Opposition Sets 48-hour Deadline; McCain, Lieberman: Arm Opposition Army

Syrian opposition forces on Wednesday set a 48-hour deadline for President Bashar Al-Asad to comply with the Kofi Anan (pictured) peace plan or efforts to topple the regime will resume. Amid continuing international expressions of horror at last Friday’s massacre of more than 100 civilians including a large number of children who were apparently executed summarily, UN observers discovered an additional  13 bodies that were bound and shot execution-style. The deadline set by opposition Free Syrian Army expires at 0900 GMT on Friday. Among the demands are free access by journalists and aid workers. In Kuala Lampur, visiting US senators John McCain (R-Az.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Ct.) called for Western nations to “give the Syrian opposition the weapons in order to defend themselves….It’s not a fair fight,” said McCain. He added that, “it’s embarrassing that the United States of America refuses to show leadership and come to the aid of the Syrian people.”