Syrian tanks occupy main Hama square

AMMAN, Jordon - Syrian tanks occupied the main Orontes Square in central Hama after heavy shelling of the city on Wednesday, residents said.
Tanks were seen thrusting to the center from the south, accompanied by an array of pro-government units, including militiamen known as "shabbiha", paratroopers and special forces, one of the residents told Reuters by satellite phone from Hama.
The square has been the venue of some of the largest demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad's rule during a five-month protest movement.
The armed groups are still targeting private and public properties in addition to "terrorizing residents" of Hama, the official SANA news agency reported on Tuesday.
The news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying that the armed groups attacked the courthouse in Hama and other governmental buildings.
"They are also setting tires ablaze to create smoke to make it look like the army is pounding the city with artilleries," the source added.


Since the unrest began in mid March, Hama and Deir al-Zour have been the hot beds of the anti-government demonstrations, with thousands protesting every week to demand the downfall of the Syrian leadership.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met some US-based Syrian activists in Washington as the administration mulls more sanctions against the Syrian government.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters at a regular briefing that Clinton expressed her "admiration for the courage of the brave Syrian people who continue to defy the government's brutality in order to express their universal rights".
Toner added that she expressed her confidence in "the Syrian people's ability to chart a new course for Syria".
He said the US plans to "move forward with additional sanctions under existing authorities" and it is "exploring the scope" of the sanctions.
The administration has no inclination to use military force in Syria, a position underscored on Tuesday in Baghdad by the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.
"There's no indication ... that we would get involved directly with respect to this," Mullen said.
The UN Security Council will continue closed-door consultations on Syria on Wednesday morning after unfruitful discussions on Tuesday, envoys said.
"The Security Council should send a positive signal in favor of political recommendations ending the violence ... unfortunately after yesterday's and today's discussions, no final agreement was possible among Security Council members today," Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters.
The situation in Syria is unlikely to have much impact on the overall Middle East region, said Gong Shaopeng, a professor of international politics at China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.
Some 200 members of Syria's ruling Baath party resigned in April over the crackdown against demonstrators, but the majority remained firm. "This is the primary factor keeping Assad's government in place," Gong said.
Gong added that there is no one in the military speaking out against him, and the Christians and the Sunnis, who form the majority of Syrian society, have not united against Assad.
"So the government in Syria is still stable, which is different from Libya," Gong said.
According to media reports, 140 people were killed in the city of Hama and other towns across the country in clashes with security forces on Sunday.