Activists report new Syria massacre on eve of U.N. meetings

June 07, 2012: Syrian activists reported the deaths of 78 people in a single village Wednesday, a day before two United Nations meetings on the crisis in the Middle Eastern country. The 78 deaths happened in Qubeir, a tiny village north of Damascus, in the province of Hama. Just 10 families live there in 20 homes, said Lt. Khaled Ali, a spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army's military council in Hama.
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The activists blamed the deaths on Syrian government forces, but the regime blamed a terrorist group for the massacre, saying it was timed to come just before the top-level meetings and make the regime look bad. In all, more than 140 people were killed throughout Syria on Wednesday at the hands of the regime, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his new role as envoy to Syria, plans to address separate meetings of the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council in New York. He also plans to discuss the crisis with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on Friday. The United Nations says more than 9,000 people have been killed since the Syrian crisis began in March 2011. Opposition activists put the toll higher, with estimates of 12,000 to 14,000.