The U.N. point man to Syria is sending a mission to Damascus next week to discuss a plan for international monitors to end the daily violence engulfing the country. A spokesman for Kofi Annan, the U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, made the announcement before Annan briefed the U.N. Security Council on Friday. Annan met last weekend with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus and the Syrian opposition in Turkey in an effort to end the year of violence in which Syrian security forces have cracked down on protesters. Annan's moves occurred as shelling and arrests in the country intensified and peaceful marchers took to the streets Friday in nationwide protests calling for "immediate military action," the theme of the day's demonstrations. Most reports from inside the country indicate the regime is slaughtering civilians to wipe out dissidents seeking al-Assad's ouster. The al-Assad family has ruled Syria for more than four decades. But al-Assad's regime has said "armed terrorist groups" are behind the bloodshed in Syria and says it has popular support for its actions. The Syrian government Friday underscored its position on terror in letters to top U.N. officials, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The government said it is protecting its citizens from "terrorists" who are slaughtering and murdering "innocent citizens." The government said that terrorist groups committed a "massacre" Monday in some neighborhoods of the city of Homs that claimed the lives of about 45 citizens. The letter said there had been "atrocities" in other cities as well, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said. "Terrorists have slaughtered and murdered innocent citizens and photographed and sent it to the stations and satellite channels that contribute to the misinformation and straining the situation and their work is incompatible with the values of substantive information and distort the facts and support terrorism," the ministry said. The government said Syria is working to find a political solution to the crisis and wants to cooperate with Annan. It argues it has initiated "democratic achievements" over the past year, citing the abolition of the state of emergency, the issuance of the law of multiparty politics and local election law, the issuance of the new constitution and other reforms. Across Syria, opposition activists said gunfire or explosions could be heard early Friday in several suburban cities in the Damascus region. Security forces were arresting people in the northeastern city of Deir Ezzor, activists said. Security forces gunned down one civilian, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. There was shelling in Homs for the seventh consecutive day, a resident said. "Thousands have fled to other city districts and nearby villages and towns," said Abu Mousab of Homs. "What we fear the most is the sporadic shelling." CNN cannot independently confirm reports of casualties or attacks in Syria because the government has severely restricted the access of international journalists. Syria launched a tough crackdown last March against protesters peacefully airing their grievances, but the clampdown spiraled out of control and spurred a nationwide anti-government movement. Political opposition groups, including the Syrian National Council, and fighters such as the Free Syrian Army, have emerged and become key players in the opposition movement. More than 8,000 people have died in the conflict, according to the United Nations, but opposition activists said the overall toll is more than 9,000, mostly civilians. One of the pressing issues is the fate of civilians caught in the crossfire. Officials from the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation plan to go on a mission led by the Syrian government to the provinces of Homs, Hama, Tartous, Latakia, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Rif Damashq and Daraa to assess humanitarian needs. "There is no time to waste," said Valerie Amos, the U.N. humanitarian chief. "It is increasingly vital that humanitarian organizations have unhindered access to identify urgent needs and provide emergency care and basic supplies." Many world powers have denounced the bloody crackdown and demanded that al-Assad leave office, and some politicians across the globe, including U.S. lawmakers, have raised the question of armed intervention. Russia, which has been an obstacle for a tough U.N. resolution against the regime, said it is awaiting Annan's assessment but stressed that it will never support "military intervention against Syria while forging a decision in the U.N. Security Council." Government news outlets reported thousands of Syrians gathering Thursday in city squares nationwide to show their "love" and loyalty" for their homeland. "The reverberating echoes of pro-Syria and pro-leadership chants were heard" in cities across the country, the state-run news agency said.