Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the weekend massacre in Houla, which sparked outrage among the international leaders after details of the attacks were revealed. 　　Major western powers, including France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada and Australia have since announced that they are expelling senior Syrian diplomats. 　　Earlier, Annan called the bloodshed "an appalling moment with profound consequences," while adding that his message of peace is for "everyone with a gun." 　　U.N.-Arab League Envoy Kofi Annan: "I urge the government to take bold steps to signal its intention to resolve this crisis peacefully." 　　"The Security Council has requested the United Nations to continue to investigate the attacks in Houla. Those responsible for these brutal crimes must be held to account." 　　A rebel leader has said that Annan's six-point peace deal is already "dead," following the brutality in the town of Houla last Friday, which claimed the lives of 108 civilians. Many of the victims were women and children. 　　The activists are blaming the Syrian forces for using heavy artillery and tank shells on the residential area, with reports saying that many were executed at close range.