THE ARAB LEAGUE has issued a deadline to Syria to cease its violent crackdown on protesters – saying that the “bloody repression” against anti-government demonstrations must come to an end.
The league is demanding that government-supported violence end within three days and that teams of observers be allowed into the country. If President Bashar Assad’s government fails to comply, the country will face sanctions, the BBC reports.
The move is significant – particularly considering the country’s past standing in the league – however Syria has fast been running out of allies: yesterday, Turkey increased it pressure on Assad’s regime, suspending joint oil exploration projects between the two countries and threatening to stop electricity exports.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented that the future of Syria could not be “built on the blood of the oppressed” - and warned of “tragic ends” for leaders who wage war with their own people.
Earlier this week, King Abdullah of Jordan also called on Assad to step down for the “interest of his country”, and today France withdrew its ambassador to Syria – although the French foreign ministry declined to comment on the recall.
Diplomatic missions of France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been attacked in Syria recently.
The UN said earlier this month that it estimates 3,500 people have been killed since anti-regime protests began in Syria in mid-March. November is set to be the most violent month of the conflict, with more than 300 people killed so far this month.
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