Syria denies UN claims it used heavy arms in Tremseh

The UN observers said there had been use of heavy weaponry in Tremseh

Syria has rejected claims by the UN that it used heavy weapons in an attack on the village of Tremseh on Thursday.

It accused UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan of "rushed" comments, adding that only troop carriers and small arms were used in the operation.
Syria said what occurred were armed clashes, not a massacre, with only 37 recorded deaths - far short of the 200 or so deaths activists have suggested.
UN observers have returned to Tremseh to continue investigations.
'Not a massacre' Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told a news conference in Damascus that no attack helicopters, aircraft or armoured tanks were used in the attack - only troops carriers and small arms, including rocket-propelled grenades.
He said Mr Annan had sent a "rushed" letter to Syria's foreign minister that did not conform with the facts on heavy weapon use.

Mr Makdissi said five buildings housing what he termed "armed terrorists" had been targeted.
He said the army's attack was in too small an area to use tanks.
"It was not a massacre but a response by regular military forces against heavily armed groups that do not want a political solution," Mr Makdissi said.
He cited the initial findings of the UN observers as supporting the Syrian government's account that armed rebels had been targeted.
However, the observers had confirmed that heavy weapons were used, in violation of a commitment given to Mr Annan by the Syrian authorities.
Mr Makdissi said if any heavy weapons were used it was by the rebel side.
Some activists and witnesses say more than 200 civilians were killed in an indiscriminate massacre, initially by an army bombardment then by pro-government shabiha militiamen who swept into the village and killed people one by one.