Assad acknowledged that some mistakes had been made by the security forces in the initial stages of the unrest

During his meeting with deputy foreign ministers from India, Brazil and South Africa in Damascus Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad admitted that security forces made "some mistakes" when dealing with protesters.

Assad, who met with the envoys along with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, "acknowledged that some mistakes had been made by the security forces in the initial stages of the unrest and that efforts were underway to prevent their recurrence," according to a statement released by India's UN mission.

SYRIA BETTER WITHOUT ASSAD!
Also on Wednesday, European members of the Security Council threatened Syria that it could face tougher UN action if it continued a “bloody crackdown” on protesters, while Russia urged Damascus to implement promised reforms as soon as possible.

But veto powers Russia and China, backed by India, South Africa and Brazil, have vehemently opposed the idea of slapping UN sanctions on Damascus.

Envoys of Britain, France, Germany and Portugal spoke to reporters after a closed-door session of the 15-nation council convened to assess Syria's compliance with last week's call by the Security Council for "an immediate end to all violence." They said Damascus has ignored that demand.

At Wednesday's meeting, UN deputy political affairs chief Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told council members that the ‘violence’ had continued and the humanitarian situation remained dire, diplomats who attended the meeting told Reuters.

US Ambassador Susan Rice told reporters earlier that "it would be much, much better for the people of Syria, and Syria would be better off, without Assad." She was echoing comments made last week by White House spokesman Jay Carney. Rice told the Security Council that the United States "is working together with its international partners to bring greater pressure to bear on the Syrian regime through further coordinated diplomatic and financial measures."

SOVEREIGNTY REDLINE
Syrian envoy Bashar Ja'afari blasted the Europeans, accusing them of misleading reporters about the situation. "They tried to manipulate the truth and to hide important facts and elements related to the so-called situation in Syria," he said, adding that the Europeans had deliberately ignored Assad's promises of reform and national dialogue.

"Syria's sovereignty is a redline gentlemen, nobody can dictate on us anything. We know our commitments, we know our obligations, but at the same time we know what are our rights," he told reporters.

He also took aim at British Prime Minister David Cameron. "On one hand, you hear British Prime Minister [David] Cameron describes and calls the rioters in London, Birmingham, and Bristol as gangs, but our own gangs in Syria he calls them peaceful demonstrators and unarmed civilians," he said

ARMY ENDS MISSION
In the meantime, the Syrian army has announced that government troops have left the western city of Hama after they restored security and stability to the city. Governor of Hama Anas Abdelrazzaq al-Naem also said in a statement that normal life will return gradually to the city as families come back to the city after they fled due to the acts of murder and terrorism committed by armed groups.

An army officer said in a statement to a delegation of Arab and foreign journalists who visited the governorate on Wednesday that the army carried out a qualitative mission in Hama and was very keen on the blood and souls of citizens, noting that the terrorist groups were carrying modern weapons that caused a lot of damage in several areas in the city.