Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Maqdissi told a press conference on Sunday that UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan had sent a letter to Syria’s foreign minister that did not conform with the facts on heavy weapon use

Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Maqdissi told a press conference on Sunday that UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan had sent a letter to Syria's foreign minister that did not conform with the facts on heavy weapon use.

“We received a letter from Mr Kofi Annan addressed to Foreign Minister Walid Muallem. The least that can be said about this letter about what happened in Treimsa is that it did not rely on facts. As diplomatically as possible, we say that this letter was very rushed.”
 
The spokesman denied that Syrian forces used tanks and helicopters in the assault on Treimsa, saying what happened in the central village was the result of clashes with terrorists and not a massacre.

“Government forces did not use helicopters and tanks,” Maqdissi told a news conference in Damascus, adding: “What happened was not an attack by the army on innocent civilians.”

The Syrian foreign minister said the aim of this news conference was to tell people that what happened was not a massacre. “It was a clash between regular forces and armed groups who do not believe in a peaceful solution. This is the reality, politically and militarily.”
  
Maqdissi staunchly denied reports suggesting that the Syrian army used aircraft in the assault on Treimsa. “This is absolutely not true. Only troop carriers and lights weapons were used, the most powerful of weapons being RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades),” he said.

Only five buildings were attacked by the Syrian forces during the assault on Treimsa that only lasted a few hours and was aimed at getting rid of the terrorists, Maqdissi said, adding that the five buildings were used to launch attacks against the army and they also contained various kinds of weapons and explosives.