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©AFP / Aris Messinis

Lucas Papademos (2R), George Karantzaferis (L), Antonis Samaras (2L) and George Papandreou, in Athens

ATHENS (AFP) - Greek trade union leaders called a general strike on Tuesday, as embattled Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos faced growing pressure from EU leaders to adopt tough new austerity measures.

A key meeting with heads of the Greek socialist, conservative and far-right parties that form Papademos' unwieldy coalition was also expected to take place Tuesday, after the leaders failed to hold talks on Monday.

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos blamed the political parties for the failure to reach consensus on debt negotiations with the country's EU-IMF creditors.

"Instead of looking at this tragic dilemma... with national unity... there are many who spend their effort on a conventional, outdated, party confrontation as if nothing has happened," the minister said.

Around 5,000 people took part in protests called by the unions and left-wing parties late Monday against the austerity measures, despite Athens being hit by a torrential thunderstorm and strong winds.

©AFP / Aris Messinis

European Commission official Matthias Mors (R) and European Central Bank official Klaus Masuch

"It is a pretence that the measures are taken to forestall bankruptcy," Communist party leader Aleka Papariga told the gathering.

"On the contrary, they will lead the people to misery to benefit the plutocracy and capital," she said.

The country's two main unions called a 24-hour general strike for Tuesday to protest the new measures.

The measures are a death sentence for the country, aimed at slashing salaries by 20-30 percent on top of previously imposed cuts, said Yiannis Panagopoulos, leader of the GSEE private-sector union.

Papademos, being pulled one way by his EU partners and the other by domestic sentiment, was due to meet officials from the EU, European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) again on Monday evening.

Those talks are aimed at wrapping up weeks of negotiations and saving his country from a historic default in March that could roil the 17-nation eurozone and undercut a global economic recovery.

A new eurozone package worth 130 billion euros ($170 billion) in aid to Greece, pending since October, hangs in the balance.

In Washington. the IMF's chief economist insisted that Greece must cut wages to boost competitiveness and pull the country out of its economic quagmire.

"Either you basically increase productivity growth a lot and quickly, and you keep wage growth moderate, or you decrease wages," said Olivier Blanchard.

In Paris, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy ramped up the pressure on Athens.

Merkel warned that Greece would receive no more EU aid to cope with the debt crisis until Athens reaches a deal with the EU, ECB and IMF 'troika' on more spending cuts and reforms.

©AFP / Aris Messinis

Senior IMF official Poul Thomsen leaves the Greek PM Lucas Papademos's office in Athens Sunday

The two leaders also floated the idea of placing part of Greece's future bailout loan funds in a special account to make sure it is channelled to service the country's enormous debt, currently exceeding 350 billion euros, and not for other uses.

"The Greeks gave us undertakings," Sarkozy added. "They should respect them scrupulously. There's no choice."

A spokesman for EU commissioner Olli Rehn warned that Greece had already in effect missed the deadline to get the deal done by the coalition to reshape the economy and slash its debt in exchange for another bailout.

But an EU diplomatic source suggested all was not lost.

"We haven't lost all hope, we hope that between now and Wednesday evening, the negotiations will be wrapped up," the source told AFP, referring to public spending, as the massive write-down of privately-held debt appears all-but settled.

Grouped within the Institute of International Finance (IIF), negotiators representing banks, insurance companies and private institutional investors held talks on Sunday on cutting some 100 billion euros from the roughly 200 billion in Greek government debt they hold.

The EU source said that eurozone finance ministers have been asked to be on standby again for talks, probably via teleconference late Wednesday or Thursday.

Papademos on Sunday managed to get limited agreement with his coalition partners on a state savings target of 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) that would include the implementation of reforms to lower production costs and a scheme to recapitalise Greek banks.

And Administrative Reform Minister Dimitris Reppas confirmed that 15,000 civil service jobs would be axed this year as requested by EU-IMF creditors.

Greece must pay 14.5 billion euros in bonds due March 20 to avoid default.

Athens and its private creditors are under intense pressure from the "troika" to cut the country's total debt burden down to what is seen as a sustainable level of 120 percent of GDP in 2020 from 160 percent at present.

©AFP/YouTube

The Syrian regime's rocket and shell bombardment of protest hubs has left 79 civilians dead, according to activists

DAMASCUS (AFP) - The Syrian regime's rocket and shell bombardment of protest hubs has left another 79 civilians dead, activists said, as Washington closed its Damascus embassy and Britain recalled its ambassador.

The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) said the regime was surrounding Homs with tanks on Monday ahead of "a major offensive" and warned of "genocide" in the central Syrian city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 42 civilians were killed in Homs alone in another day of blood-letting, and warned the death toll was likely to rise with many of the dozens of wounded in critical condition.

State media reported the deaths of three soldiers and said a "terrorist group" blew up an oil pipeline in Homs.

The army also launched an assault on the Zabadani area near Damascus with heavy tank shelling, killing at least 10 people, according to the Britain-based Observatory.

©AFP/YouTube

Syrian opposition groups warn of a "genocide" in Homs as tanks surround the city

It also reported civilian deaths in Rastan, Hula and Qusair, all towns in Homs province, as well at Sarghaya, near Damascus, in the northern city of Aleppo and in Idlib, northwest Syria.

A resident of Homs told AFP the latest assault began shortly after 0400 GMT Monday, with unprecedented barrages of rockets, mortar rounds and artillery shells.

Scene: 'God help us' - appeal from Syria's Homs

"What is happening is horrible, it's beyond belief," said activist Omar Shaker, reached by telephone as loud detonations were heard in the background.

"There is nowhere to take shelter, nowhere to hide," he said. "We are running short of medical supplies and we are only able to provide basic treatment to the injured."

One video posted on YouTube apparently showed a field hospital hit by shelling in the Baba Amro district and wounded patients lying on stretchers on the floor amid pools of blood and shattered glass.

Footage shot by a BBC undercover team in Homs showed buildings ablaze in rebel neighbourhoods as they were pounded with heavy weapons.

Timeline: Diplomatic moves against Syria

Damascus blamed the bloodshed in Homs on "terrorist gangs" using mortars.

The violence comes as Western powers seek new ways to punish Damascus amid growing outrage over Saturday's veto by Russia and China of a UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria for its near 11-month crackdown on dissent.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the veto a "travesty."

White House spokesman Jay Carney warned Syria's allies that backing President Bashar al-Assad was a "losing bet."

The State Department said it had closed the American embassy in Syria and withdrawn remaining staff after Damascus refused to address security concerns.

Senior State Department officials told CNN that two embassy employees left by air last week and 15 others, including Ambassador Robert Ford, left overland through Jordan on Monday morning.

The Polish government is to provide emergency consular services to any American citizens remaining in Syria.

©AFP/Syrian Opposition

A picture obtained by Syrian opposition activists in Homs shows mourners attending a mass funeral on February 4

US President Barack Obama shied away from talk of military intervention and vowed to pursue diplomatic means.

"It is important to resolve this without recourse to outside military intervention and I think that's possible," he said in an NBC television interview.

Britain recalled its ambassador to Syria "for consultations," Foreign Secretary William Hague told parliament.

"We will use our remaining channels to the Syrian regime to make clear our abhorrence at the violence that is utterly unacceptable to the civilised world," Hague said.

Belgium also recalled its ambassador from Damascus.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said, after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, that he would call Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to discuss the international response to the crisis.

Neither France nor Germany, he said, would accept the "blocking" of action on Syria.

Russia and China both defended their vetoes, with Moscow condemning as "hysterical" the West's angry reaction.

©AFP / Khalil Mazraawi

A Syrian residing in Jordan chants slogans against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Foreign Intelligence Service chief Mikhail Fradkov are due in Damascus on Tuesday, as news reports said the mission could try to persuade Assad to quit.

China called on both sides of the conflict to halt the violence that has claimed the lives of at least 6,000 people since March, according to opposition activists.

Reax: China defends Syria veto, denies sheltering Assad

The Syrian National Council said the "genocide" in Homs showed the regime was "increasing the pace of its crimes and repression."

Saudi Arabia called for "critical measures" on Syria and warned of an impending "humanitarian disaster" after the failure of the UN resolution.

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Riyadh is the leading member, is to meet on Saturday on Syria, on the eve of an Arab League ministerial meeting at the organisation's Cairo headquarters.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and Brazilian foreign minister Antonio Patriota on Monday underscored their support for the Arab League effort to end violence in Syria.

Referring to Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi, Ashton at a meeting in Brasilia said she and Patriota discussed "how much we support him on the Arab League's initiative and the importance of seeing that leadership (being) able to support the people of Syria into a future free of bloodshed."

Meanwhile the British-born wife of Syria's president has spoken in support of her husband for the first time since the uprising began, a British newspaper reported Tuesday.

Reax: Assad's wife 'defends' Syria crackdown

"The president is the president of Syria, not a faction of Syrians, and the first lady supports him in that role," The Times quoted Asma al-Assad as saying in an email sent via an intermediary from her office.