EGYPT: Arab League says Syria suspension not a call for foreign intervention

Record ID: 280033

  • Title: EGYPT: Arab League says Syria suspension not a call for foreign intervention
  • Date: 13th November 2011
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (NOVEMBER 12, 2011) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF ARAB LEAGUE HEADQUARTERS QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER/PRIME MINISTER, SHEIKH HAMAD BIN JASSIM AL-THANI SEATED WITH ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY GENERAL NABIL ELARABY AT PRESS CONFERENCE CAMERAMEN FILMING CONFERENCE JOURNALIST SEATED AT NEWS CONFERENCE AL-THANI AND ELARABY AT NEWS CONFERENCE ARAB DIPLOMATS AT NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 28th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt, Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9BQW5KH93LC56F2EN996KQ9GO
  • Story Text: The Arab League suspended Syria and called on its army to stop killing civilians in a surprise move on Saturday (November 12) that turned up the heat on President Bashar al-Assad.
    The League will impose economic and political sanctions on Assad's government and has appealed to member states to withdraw their ambassadors from Damascus, said Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani.
    It will also call a meeting of Syrian opposition parties, he said. Hopes among Western powers that Assad would be isolated by his Arab neighbours were repeatedly dashed until now.
    Some Arab leaders have been reluctant to turn against one of their peers given the message it might send to their own restive populations, diplomats say.
    But Assad has pressed ahead with the crackdown on protesters against his rule despite an Arab peace plan brokered on November 2.
    At a press conference after an emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Sheikh Hamad said that an overwhelming majority of Arab states had supported what was a difficult step.
    "We are very sorry to have to take this decision, but after all of this time in which the killing has continued and in which those detained have not been released, we found ourselves compelled to take a decision like this," he said.
    He said the suspension of Syria from the regional body would take effect on November 16, but did not detail the sanctions. Qatar currently chairs the Cairo-based Arab League.
    Yemen and Lebanon opposed the suspension and Iraq abstained in the vote, Sheikh Hamad said.
    The Arab League's Secretary General, Nabil Elaraby, was careful to emphasise that the League's decision was not an indicator of an invitation for foreign intervention in the Syrian conflict, similar to NATO activity in Libya.
    "First of all, I know that there is great concern among the Arab states to respect the fact that this takes place within an Arab context, and that concern is fully agreed upon in our decision. There is no demand for intervention whatsoever in this decision or anything of the kind, regardless of what the Syrian government has said, or what the Syrian delegate said just now," he said.
    Sheikh Hamad, who also serves as the Qatari Foreign Minister, also stressed that no Arab state was calling for a no-fly zone over Syria.
    "No one is speaking about arming, or a no-fly zone. No one in the Arab League is speaking about this matter. These rumours unfortunately confuse the issue. We are not speaking about these matters, no one is speaking about them," he said.
    Elaraby said the Arab League would now look to taking measures for the protection of Syrian civilians before contemplating further steps.
    "There will be a report after consulting the competent authorities concerned with human rights who have the experience in this field, who have already extended protection to other people in Africa," he said.
    "Out of that a report will be put, what can be done and what cannot be done. I cannot tell you today, we do not know," Elaraby added.
    The Arab League also called for a meeting of the Syrian opposition, urging them to reach a unified position that would allow for negotiations with the Syrian government.
    "First of all the opposition, we respect their opinion, and we respect the opinion also of the government of Syria. The way out of this is by dialogue between both sides," said the Qatari Prime Minister.
    Sheikh Hamad said it was ultimately up to Syrians themselves to end conflict.
    "The Syrians have to decide for themselves, not us. We are trying prepare the climate where they can talk together, seriously and quickly to reach a solution for the dilemma in Syria," he said.
    The prime minister said the Arab League would now monitor the situation in Syria, and hoped the country would work to comply with the previous agreement.
    "Will the situation develop for the better or for the worse? If it changes for the better, then Syria is a founding and important member of the Arab League. If it does not develop and they do not abide by this decision, then as I have said the Council will study what measures to take to protect civilians in Syria," said Sheikh Hamad.
    Freezing Syria out of the 22-member League of Arab States carries extra symbolism in the wake of events in Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a rebellion that benefited from NATO air support.
    The NATO mission got United Nations Security Council approval after Libya was suspended by the Arab League.
    The United Nations says more than 3,500 people have been killed in seven months of violence.
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