Arab League Moves to Suspend Syria Over Crackdown

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Arab League Moves to Suspend Syria Over Crackdown

By Elizabeth Arrot
Voice of America
November 12, 2011

The Arab League has voted to suspend Syria four days from now if it fails to adhere to an initiative to end a crackdown on anti-government protests.

Arab League members voted overwhelmingly for Syria's suspension and to impose both political and economic sanctions on Wednesday, unless Syria lives up to its promises. Qatari Foreign Minister Hamid bin Jassim al Thani said the decision was made because of Syria's lack of complete and immediate implementation of the league's peace plan.

The Qatari diplomat, speaking after a meeting at league headquarters in Cairo Saturday, said it would be up to member states to decide whether to withdraw their envoys from Damascus as well.

Syria's ambassador to the league, Yousef Ahmed, rejected the decision as illegal and against the league charter. He called it a clear case of the alliance working under an American and Western agenda.

Syria's opposition, human-rights groups and amateur video reports indicate the violence has, if anything, only grown worse since November 2, when Damascus agreed to a league plan to pull back its forces from the streets, start a dialogue with the opposition, allow in journalists and monitors, and release all political prisoners.

More than 100 people are believed to have been killed in Homs in the past week alone.

The United Nations says more than 3,500 people have been killed since the uprising began in March. . . . [More]
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