Violent acts have been reported across Syria on Friday with the occurrence of clashes and protests in a number of areas, as the international community held the so- called "Friends of Syria" meeting, repeating previous statements about how the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is good to the situation in Syria.

Syria's state media reported Friday clashes between armed groups and government forces in suburb of the central city of Qusair near Homs, adding that a number of armed men had been killed in the clashes.

Large quantities of weaponries were seized, said the report.

Clashes also erupted in Areha area in the northwestern province of Idlib, according to the official report.

Meanwhile, the oppositional activists' network, Local Coordination Committees (LCC), said that anti-government rallies broke out Friday in a number of Syrian cities calling for the downfall of the current Syrian leadership. It said the Syrian troops shelled several areas, alleging that as many as 50 people were killed nationwide Friday.

Yet, the activists' report could not be independently verified as it is based on tallies by unknown parties.

On the international arena, the so-called "Friends of Syria" meeting comprising anti-Assad western and Arab countries held its third gathering Friday in Paris and renewed calls for Assad to give up power. The last two sessions of the meetings were held in Istanbul and Tunis.

The Friday meeting called for tougher sanctions against the Syrian government as the attendees were mulling over a peaceful political transition in the violence-torn Arab country.

In his opening remarks, French President Francois Hollande said he expected a rapid implementation of the UN and Arab League- backed peace plan from UN mediator Kofi Annan to stop an " unbearable situation" in Syria.

"Today, our meeting here in Paris has set a goal: to encourage the Security Council to take as soon as possible its responsibilities to better support the plan to end the crisis," said Hollande, who also called for tougher sanctions against Assad and more support for rebels.

"Bashar al-Assad must go. It's in the interest of Syria, of its neighbors and everybody who wants peace in the region," he stressed.

China and Russia, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, did not attend the Paris meeting.

Observers believe that had those international meetings truly focused on solving the Syrian crisis aside of their unspoken intentions, the 16-month-old crisis would have been already solved.

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