Arab League meets Assad foes after 69 die in Syria
The Arab League, stung into action by months of bloodshed in Syria, met opponents of President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday, a day after violence in his country killed 69 more people.
The League, which has voted to suspend Syria’s membership from Wednesday, asked Syrian opposition groups to draw up their plans for a transition of power, as a prelude to a wider gathering on Syria’s future planned by the Cairo-based body.
“The Arab League will announce soon a date for a conference to include many of the Syrian opposition groups to discuss the ways and time needed to move to a transitional period,” Abdel Basset Sedah, of the opposition Syrian National Council’s executive office, told Reuters after meeting League officials.
After months of hesitation, the League decided on Saturday to discipline Syria for pursuing a violent crackdown on dissent instead of implementing an Arab peace initiative. It has stopped short of calling for Assad’s departure or proposing any Libya-style foreign military intervention in Syria.
Hundreds of Syrians have been killed this month in one of the bloodiest periods of the revolt, inspired by uprisings which have overthrown leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
Damascus says it is committed to the Arab peace initiative, which calls for a ceasefire and dialogue with the opposition.
Syria requested an emergency Arab summit, but a Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab states rejected the idea, which would need the support of 15 of the League’s 22 members.
Morocco’s foreign minister said “Syrian colleagues” were welcome at Wednesday’s meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Rabat, but did not say if Syria’s top diplomat could attend.
Arab ostracism is a particularly bitter blow for Assad, who has always seen himself as a champion of Arab unity.