The Syrian government has asked for an emergency meeting of Arab leaders following the threat by the Arab League to suspend Damascus.
An official quoted in state media said a meeting was needed “to tackle the Syrian crisis and look into its negative repercussions on the Arab situation”.
The official also invited the Arab League to Syria “with the aim of directly inspecting what is taking place on the ground”.
The moves came despite attacks on the Saudi and Qatari embassies bysupporters of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad at the weekend and government condemnation of the league’s decision as evidence the organisation was “subordinate to US-western agendas”.
Attacks were also reported on the diplomatic missions of France and Turkey, both of which have been sharply critical of the regime.
Following months of Arab divisions over Syria’s eight month uprising, which has met with a violent and escalating military response from the regime, the league on Saturday said it would suspend Damascus and impose economic and political sanctions by Wednesday if it did not abide by the terms of a peace initiative.
In moves that will alarm the Syrian leadership, the league also called on the Syrian army not to fire on civilians and said it would “take proper decisions regarding the recognition of Syrian opposition”.
It also said it would turn to international bodies, including the UN, requesting action to stop the bloodshed that has killed more than 3,500 people.
The statement marked a huge symbolic blow to a Ba’athist regime that has always seen itself as the leader of Arab nationalism and claims to derive legitimacy from protecting Arab causes.
Tens of thousands of regime supporters rallied across Syria on Sunday to protest at the league’s move. Yousef Ahmad, Syria’s envoy to the league, said the body’s decision was illegal and accused it of “working on bringing the foreign intervention to Syria, as the matter was in Iraq and Libya”.
However, despite his criticism of the league, Mr Ahmad insisted the peace initiative previously announced by the league was still valid, and a government source quoted in state media called for an emergency Arab summit, inviting the league to come to Syria to inspect the situation on the ground.
The league will review its decision at a ministerial meeting in the Moroccan capital of Rabat on Wednesday.
Although western governments have made clear that no Libya-style intervention is being envisioned for Syria, pressure has been mounting in the Middle East and beyond for measures to protect Syrian civilians.
Analysts said the Arab League’s decision at the weekend was in part intended to encourage Russia and China to ease their opposition to UN Security Council resolutions on Syria. Demands for action are expected to intensify when the UN human rights council issues a report on Syria at the end of the month.
Samir Taqi, a Syrian political analyst, said the Arab move could also speed up the formation of havens in Jordan and Turkey for army defectors and Syrians persecuted by the regime.
The Arab League has been criticised for being slow to act on Syria. But Qatar, which currently chairs of the organisation, has followed a deliberate step-by-step approach to bring sceptics on board for the decision to suspend Syria. On Saturday, only Yemen and Lebanon voted against the move, with Iraq abstaining.
Only a few weeks ago, the league said it had agreed a deal with the regime that would end the killing of protesters and begin a dialogue with the opposition. Qatar called for a review of this agreement as November became one of the bloodiest months in the uprising, with 250 civilians killed, many in Homs, one of the most rebellious cities.
Source: Zawya
