As the killing continues, UN and Arab League propose joint observers in Syria
Seventy people were killed today in Homs. On Sunday, Arab League could recognise Syria’s opposition as the representative of the Syrian people. Turkey and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference announce fresh diplomatic initiatives. Some reports suggest Qatar and US might provide military support.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – The United Nations was expected today to take up an Arab League proposal for a joint monitoring mission in Syria. Meanwhile, in the country, reports speak of greater repression with more violent attacks, especially in the city of Homs. Opposition sources said 93 people were killed yesterday, another 70 today.
The opposition itself might get a boost if Arab League foreign ministers, who are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Sunday, recognise the Syrian National Council (SNC) as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
At the same time, some sources are saying that Qatar and the United States might deliver military aid to the rebels. However, a Pentagon study said that a military intervention is purely “academic”.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he had received a proposal for a joint UN-Arab League mission from Arab League secretary-general Nabil al-Arabi.
The 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) also stepped into the fray, saying that it will follow recent developments in order to create an international grouping of friends of the Syrian people. It also noted that the Syrian government had turned down its proposal for OIC observers.
However, the ‘Friends of Syria’ the OIC had in mind are not the same as the ‘Friends of Democratic Syria’, whose creation has been backed by the United States and others.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland spoke about the group just a few hours before Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Washington.
For his part, Davutoglu said in Ankara, "We are determined in this matter" shortly before leaving for the United States. The “matter” in question is the Arab League’s attempt to stop violence in Syria, suggesting that turkey could be the to host such ‘Friends’. Ankara had previously offered to host an international conference on the same issue.
As part of the mounting pressures on Syria, the European Union announced it would decide at the end of the month new sanctions against the Assad regime.
A senior EU official in Brussels said the new measures could include bans on the import of Syrian phosphates, on commercial flights between Syria and Europe, and on financial transactions with the country's central bank. The European Union imports 40 per cent of Syria's phosphate exports. (PD)
The opposition itself might get a boost if Arab League foreign ministers, who are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Sunday, recognise the Syrian National Council (SNC) as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
At the same time, some sources are saying that Qatar and the United States might deliver military aid to the rebels. However, a Pentagon study said that a military intervention is purely “academic”.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he had received a proposal for a joint UN-Arab League mission from Arab League secretary-general Nabil al-Arabi.
The 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) also stepped into the fray, saying that it will follow recent developments in order to create an international grouping of friends of the Syrian people. It also noted that the Syrian government had turned down its proposal for OIC observers.
However, the ‘Friends of Syria’ the OIC had in mind are not the same as the ‘Friends of Democratic Syria’, whose creation has been backed by the United States and others.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland spoke about the group just a few hours before Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Washington.
For his part, Davutoglu said in Ankara, "We are determined in this matter" shortly before leaving for the United States. The “matter” in question is the Arab League’s attempt to stop violence in Syria, suggesting that turkey could be the to host such ‘Friends’. Ankara had previously offered to host an international conference on the same issue.
As part of the mounting pressures on Syria, the European Union announced it would decide at the end of the month new sanctions against the Assad regime.
A senior EU official in Brussels said the new measures could include bans on the import of Syrian phosphates, on commercial flights between Syria and Europe, and on financial transactions with the country's central bank. The European Union imports 40 per cent of Syria's phosphate exports. (PD)
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