WARNING: EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES

Speaking from Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan slams the double veto by China and Russia of the U.N. resolution on Syria which would have called for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

(SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRIME MINISTER TAYYIP ERDOGAN SAYING:

"The process that occurred at the United Nations in relation to Syria is a fiasco for the civilized world. This case is not only an example of helplessness; there is also a lesson to be learnt from it and it needs to be questioned further. The U.N. Security Council couldn't fulfil its duty of maintaining peace and international security and it has once again held captive the conscience of the international community. Using this veto power gives the green light for the persecution to continue."

Erdogan also said Turkey is preparing "a new initiative with those countries that stand by the people, not the Syrian government."

Saturday's failed U.N. vote came a day after activists say Assad's forces killed more than 200 people in the city of Homs.

This amateur video footage - which Reuters cannot independently verify - purports to show the shelling of Homs, in what activists claim was the bloodiest episode in 11 months of upheaval.

Field hospitals in the city are overwhelmed, with the wounded laying alongside the dead.

Residents say Syrian forces began shelling the Khalidiya neighbourhood in Homs using artillery and mortars on Friday night. They say at least 36 houses were completely destroyed, with the families still inside.

The U.N. says more than 5,000 people have been killed by Syrian forces during the uprising.

Nick Rowlands, Reuters.