Riyadh Presses Syria on Arab League Plan
Saudi Arabia on Monday pressed the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to conform fully with an Arab League plan aimed at ending his government's deadly crackdown on dissent.
A statement after a cabinet meeting chaired by Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz urged Damascus to "hold fully to its commitments" in accepting a League plan to end the crisis, and hailed the pan-Arab bloc's efforts to do so.
The statement, published by the state news agency SPA, underlined "the importance of ensuring the protection of Syrian civilians and stopping the killings and acts of violence."
On Sunday, the League said Arab foreign ministers are to hold crisis talks on Syria in Cairo on Thursday.
They are to discuss the next steps after the Arab bloc rejected amendments suggested by Damascus to a document outlining plans for a 500-strong delegation to monitor the violence in Syria, an Arab League source said.
Under a November 2 deal with the League, Syria was given 15 days to pull back troops from cities at the center of anti-government protests, release detainees, allow free movement for observers and media, and negotiate with the opposition.
The League under the deal was to send 500 members of human rights groups, media representatives and military observers to Syria to monitor the situation and help implement the peace plan.
A fresh deadline to end the bloodshed or face sanctions expired on Saturday, with no compliance from Assad's security forces.
Source: Agence France Presse
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