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DAMASCUS, Jan 24: Syria said on Tuesday it would spurn further Arab efforts to resolve its political crisis as Gulf states piled on pressure by deciding to pull out their observers and urging strong UN action.
The Arab League said its monitors would be confined to base from Wednesday unless the Syrian government gave its approval for the mission to continue for a second month after an informal extension ran out.
The Gulf Cooperation Council said it had decided “to follow Saudi Arabia’s decision to pull out its observers from the Arab League mission in Syria”.
It called on “members of the UN Security Council... to take all needed measures to press Syria to implement the Arab League decisions and the Arab initiative on Syria.”
The Gulf states accounted for 54 of the 165 monitors in the Arab League mission to Syria, a GCC official said. Saudi Arabia decided on Sunday to pull out its observers.
The Arab League said it had requested a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to present its proposals on resolving the crisis and seek support from the Security Council.
The request was issued by the league’s secretary general Nabil Al Arabi and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, deputy secretary general Ahmad bin Helli told AFP.
He said the League’s observers had been operating in Syria under an informal agreement that expired on Tuesday.
“If the Syrian government does not give its agreement to (further) extend the mission, the observers will suspend their work, will remain in their places of residence and will not move,” he said.
Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said: “Enough of the Arab solutions from now,” accusing the group of “plotting” to internationalise the crisis and taking decisions while “knowing that they will be rejected” by Syria.
His remarks came after the bloc called on Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to hand over power to his deputy and clear the way for a unity government within two months.
“We do not want Arab solutions. We said that two days ago when we refused the initiative and when the ministers’ council decided to turn to the Security Council,” Mr Muallem said.
“We categorically refused (this proposal).”—AFP
