Arab League to seek UN support over Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby headed to New York on Sunday, January 29 seeking to win support from the U.N. Security Council for a plan to end violence in Syria by asking President Bashar al-Assad to step aside.

Elaraby will brief the Security Council on Tuesday but the Arab initiative, which is backed by Western states, is facing resistance from Russia and China, two of the five permanent members of the council with veto powers.

Elaraby, the league's secretary-general, will be joined in New York by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, whose country heads the league's committee charged with following Syrian developments. Qatar and fellow Gulf Arab state Saudi Arabia have been leading efforts to put pressure on Assad.

Asked about China and Russia's reluctance to take new steps over Syria, Elaraby said he hoped the two nations would change their position. "There are contacts with China and Russia on this issue," he said.

He also said Arab monitors, whose work was suspended on Saturday after an escalation of violence, had gathered in Damascus and would not leave the Syrian capital until their status was decided following the withdrawal of Gulf observers from the team.

Arab foreign ministers will meet on February 5 to discuss the Syria crisis, senior Arab League official said. The ministers are expected to discuss whether or not to permanently withdraw the mission from Syria, where thousands of people have been killed in a 10-month uprising against Assad's rule.

Syria, which said it was surprised by the decision to suspend the work of the monitors, described the move as a bid to influence the Security Council and increase pressure for foreign intervention, Reuters reported.