Arab League delivers ultimatum to Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Arab world called Wednesday, November 16, for urgent action to protect Syrian civilians from an eight-month protest crackdown, giving President Bashar al-Assad three days to halt the "bloody repression," AFP reports.

The 22-member League is "giving the Syrian government three days to stop the bloody repression" of its civilian population, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani told a news conference after a meeting of member states in Rabat.

"But if Damascus does not agree to cooperate with the League, sanctions will be adopted against Syria," he said, adding that the Arab states had "almost reached the end of the line" with Damascus.

"I don't want to speak about last chances so (the regime) doesn't think it is being given an ultimatum but we are almost at the end of the line," he said. "The Syrian government must agree to Arab League decisions and stop the blood bath in Syria," he said. "We do not interfere in Syria's internal affairs... but the blood bath must be stopped."

Syria was suspended by the League at the weekend, and refused to turn up at the meeting, which was also attended by Turkey, its northern neighbor.