BRUTAL Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad snubbed pleas to halt his bloody persecution of opposition groups yesterday. Peace envoy Kofi Annan begged Assad to end the bloodshed at face-to-face talks.
But the Syrian president ruled out a negotiated settlement, insisting his government would continue to resist "armed groups".
And he pledged there would be no peace talks as long as "terrorists" vied to topple him.
Mr Annan � representing the United Nations and the Arab League � is seeking an end to the violence, estimated to have claimed 8,000 lives.
Seventy more civilians were killed on the eve of his arrival in Damascus. Syrian opposition figures scorned his mission, claiming Assad prefers to carry on killing.
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