Syria massacre: Rebels share blame, says Russia's Lavrov

Rebels in Syria are partly responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people in the town of Houla, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.

Mr Lavrov, whose government a close ally of the Syrian regime, said some victims had been killed at close range in a district controlled by rebels.

The UN condemned the killings, saying government artillery was involved.

UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has arrived in Damascus for talks on implementing his peace plan.

He called on “every individual with a gun” to lay down their arms.

“I have come to Syria at a critical moment in this crisis,” Mr Annan said shortly after his arrival.

“I am personally shocked and horrified by the tragic incident in Houla.

At a joint news conference with UK counterpart William Hague in Moscow, Mr Lavrov said that Russia was “deeply alarmed” by the massacre in Houla.

“We are dealing with a situation in which both sides evidently had a hand in the deaths of innocent people,” he said.