ALERT from The U.N. - President Assad of Syria: Stop the violence - the people say: "Enough."

REPORTING FROM BEIRUT -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the crackdown against a 10-month-old uprising that has left thousands dead. Ban's strong comments on Sunday came as Assad offered amnesty to protesters and army deserters involved in the rebellion.

"Today, I say again to President Assad of Syria: Stop the violence," Ban said at a democracy conference for the Arab world in Beirut. "Stop killing your people. The path of repression is a dead end."

U.N. officials estimate that more than 5,000 people have died in a government crackdown since mid-March, when protests inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt erupted in Syria. Syrian authorities say 2,000 police and security forces have been killed by foreign-backed Islamist terrorist groups trying to ignite sectarian strife.

Moon said the protests against Assad were not likely to abate: "The winds of change will not cease to blow. The flame ignited in Tunisia will not be dimmed," he said.

He added: "The old way, the old order, is crumbling. One-man rule and the perpetuation of family dynasties, monopolies of wealth and power, the silencing of the media, the deprivation of fundamental freedoms .... To all of this, the people say: Enough."
[link to latimesblogs.latimes.com]