Arab League to Back Russia Plan on Syria
The Arab League will back a Russian plan to place Syria's chemical weapons under international supervision for eventual destruction, its secretary general said Tuesday.
Nabil al-Arabi told reporters in Cairo the League will "soon issue a statement announcing its support officially" for the Russian plan.
The pan-Arab body said it would hold crisis talks on Wednesday at the level of permanent delegates to discuss the initiative.
Moscow made the surprise proposal on Monday. It is aimed at averting punitive U.S. strikes against the Damascus regime for its alleged use of chemical weapons.
"If you remember, I always insisted that (the Syrian conflict) needs a political solution," Arabi said.
On September 1, the League urged the United Nations and the international community to take "deterrent" action against the Syrian regime over the alleged attacks near Damascus.
"The United Nations and the international community are called upon to assume their responsibilities in line with the U.N. Charter and international law by taking the necessary deterrent measures" following the suspected August 21 incident, Arab League foreign ministers said in a statement.
But they fell short of calling for military strikes as proposed by Washington, with several member countries opposed to foreign intervention in Syria.
The Arab League has suspended Syria as a member and replaced it with the main opposition coalition.
Syria's conflict has killed more than 110,000 people since it began in March 2011.
Source: Agence France Presse
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