International peace envoy stays in Syria

International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi pursued mediation efforts Tuesday in Damascus, but there was no pause in the bloodletting as Syrian Christians marked a bleak Christmas Day with prayers for peace.

“We are here in a cave that symbolizes Syria right now,” said a priest standing beside a nativity scene in a grotto.

“It is cold here, but the door is open to all refugees,” he told Syrian state TV. “Amid the hunger, cold and deprivation, we still have hope for peace and love for our country.”

More than 44,000 Syrians are believed to have been killed since a revolt against President Bashar Assad erupted 21 months ago, igniting an increasingly sectarian conflict that broadly pits a Sunni Muslim majority against Assad’s Alawite minority. Christians, many of whom have been reluctant to join what they see as an Islamist-tinged insurgency, feel threatened.

Brahimi met some dissidents who are tolerated by Assad but rejected by the mainstream opposition and by rebels fighting to oust him a day after he held talks with the Syrian president.

There was no word on any progress in the U.N.-Arab League envoy’s drive to end violence that has intensified in recent months as Assad uses air power and artillery against rebel gains.

Raja Naser, secretary-general of the National Coordination Body, said after meeting Brahimi that the envoy planned a week of meetings in Damascus. But most opposition groups appear frustrated with Brahimi’s quest for a deal on a transitional government.