Egypt's Nilesat Drops Syria Channels
Egyptian satellite operator Nilesat on Wednesday cut transmission of Syrian state channels, as requested by the Arab League group for Syria, a Nilesat executive said, angering Damascus.
"We have stopped transmission of the official Syrian channels, implementing the recommendations of the Arab League," the executive, who asked to remain anonymous, told Agence France Presse.
Syria's information ministry denounced the measure, saying it was "biased" and part of a "campaign aimed at undermining Syria," the state-run SANA news agency reported.
"Nilesat is violating the contract it has with Syria and is siding with parties hostile to our nation whose action falls within the Zionist (Israeli) project," SANA said.
Earlier, addressing a meeting of top Arab diplomats in Cairo, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi said it was time for the Syrian regime to step down.
"I tell the Syrian regime 'there is still a chance to end the bloodshed'. Now is the time for change... no time to be wasted talking about reform," Morsi told the Cairo meeting.
"Don't take the right step at the wrong time... because that would be the wrong step," he said.
He urged President Bashar Assad to "learn lessons from recent history" and step aside, in reference to Arab Spring revolts that overthrew the long-time strongmen of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
Morsi, who was in June elected Egypt's first Islamist leader following an uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, urged Arab diplomats to move quickly to resolve the conflict.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 26,000 people have been killed in the country since the revolt broke out in March 2011.
Source: Agence France Presse
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