Red Crescent fails to evacuate journalists in Homs

Another day of conflict in Homs on Monday left yet more people dead in the Syrian city.The continued bombardment has made it difficult for aid groups to enter the area in order to evacuate those injured.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent made it into the city Monday, which is an opposition, stronghold, to deliver aid but their efforts have been hampered by the security situation.

Among those still in Homs are two foreign journalists and the bodies of two of their colleagues who were killed last week.

According to the Red Cross they had not managed to get them out.

As the death toll rose in Syria, authorities announced the passing of a referendum held on Sunday that authorities say is a step towards political reform.

However, In an interview with CNN, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated the call for Bashar al-Assad to step aside and for the Syrian opposition to work together.

The referendum allows at least in theory for the opening of the country's political system.

It approves a new constitution, which allows for a multiparty system in Syria, which has been ruled by the Baath party since it took power in a coup in 1963.

Many Western countries have dismissed the vote as a ``farce'' meant to justify the regime's bloody crackdown on dissent.

Syria's main opposition groups boycotted the vote, and violence elsewhere prevented polling. Listen