Russia 'sends six warships to Syria' but denies it has anything to do with growing tensions



President al-Assad today proposes ending the violence 'step by step' according to UN's Kofi Annan

Syrian human rights organisation announces more than 17,000 people have been killed in the revolt

Cyprus has drawn up plans to take in 200,000 refugees from the fighting



Russia today dispatched six warships to its naval base in Syria in a move that is likely to spark concern in the West.

A flotilla led by an anti-submarine destroyer have sailed from the Arctic port of Severomorsk to Tartus.

However, military sources claim the deployment is nothing to do with the growing tensions in the country where the crackdown by government troops against opposition forces has intensified in recent weeks.

Dispatched: The Russian Admiral Chabanenko destroyer (file photo) and three landing craft will be joined in the Mediterranean by a Russian patrol ship and an assistance vessel in a move likely to concern the West



It comes as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has proposed ending Syria's conflict 'step by step', starting with districts that have seen the worst violence, UN secretary general Kofi Annan told a news conference in Tehran today.

'He made a suggestion of building an approach from the ground up in some of the districts where we have extreme violence - to try and contain the violence in those districts and, step by step, build up and end the violence across the country,' Annan said.

He declined to give details, saying the plan needed to be discussed with the Syrian opposition.

Violence: A man looks at a damaged area in Deraa, Syria, yesterday. Russian military sources have said the deployment of the ships 'was not linked to the escalation of the situation in Syria Burning: Demonstrators burn tyres to block a road in the al-Midan district of Damascus yesterday as the protest against the government continues

The Admiral Chabanenko and three landing craft will be joined in the Mediterranean by Russian patrol ship Yaroslav Mudry and an assistance vessel.

Hope: UN secretary general Kofi Annan said Syrian president al-Assad had proposed ending the conflict 'step-by-step



'The programme of the voyage includes a call in the Syrian port of Tartus,' a military source told Interfax news agency.

He claimed the deployment 'was not linked to the escalation of the situation in Syria.'

The West may not see it the same way, having strongly criticised Russia for refusing to cut its military and political ties to Damascus despite the bloodshed in the country.

'In Tartus the ships will top up on supplies of fuel, water and foodstuffs,' said the source.

The flotilla is deploying in the Mediterranean, it was claimed.

The naval deployment can only buttress Russia's diplomatic muscle. Moscow is adamant that Syria should resolve its own problems without outside interference.

Last month, Britain forced a cargo vessel loaded with Soviet-era helicopter gunships and possible missiles to return to Russia by withdrawing its London-based insurance which contravened an EU embargo on military supplies to Syria.



Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 17,129 people have been killed in the country's 16-month-old revolt so far.



Around 884 defectors have been killed in the crackdown on the protest movement that began in spring 2011 and has since turned into an armed rebellion.



The total death toll included members of the security forces still loyal to Assad, of whom 4,348 have died.

Cyprus has also drawn up plans to take in up to 200,000 refugees from the fighting.



Tension: Residents gather during the funeral of a man whom protesters say was killed by forces loyal to president in Daria near Damascus

While the figures are a worst-case scenario, the number is equivalent to a quarter of the population of the Republic of Cyprus, a huge burden at a time of economic upheaval.



If such a crisis does erupt, officials are hoping the European Union will step in to help.



In 2006, during a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, about 90,000 people fled to Cyprus by boat and on evacuation flights. Britain and the United States helped out, as many of those fleeing were foreign nationals.



