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Turkey says concerned over Syria’s rejection of Arab League plan
A statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said Syria's rejection of the Jan. 22 decision of the Arab League has increased Turkey's concerns with respect to the situation in Syria. Syria has rejected the Arab League' wide-ranging new plan to end the country's 10-month crisis, saying the league's call for a national unity government in two months is a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty, as the violence continues to rage.
Assad blames the uprising that erupted in March on terrorists and armed gangs acting out a foreign conspiracy to destabilize the country. His regime has retaliated with a brutal crackdown that the UN says has killed more than 5,400 people.
However, there is growing urgency to find a resolution to a crisis that is growing increasingly violent as regime opponents and army defectors who have switched sides have started to fight against government forces. The Arab League has tried to stem the bloodshed by condemning the crackdown, imposing sanctions and sending a team of observers to the country. On Sunday, the league called for a unity government within two months, which would then prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held under Arab and international supervision.
The proposal also provides for Assad to give his vice president full powers to cooperate with the proposed government to enable it to carry out its duties during a transitional period. Gulf Arab states withdrew their observers from Syria on Tuesday after it rejected an Arab League peace plan and the group's chief called for UN help in ending Syria's bloody upheaval.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem accused the league of plotting to engineer foreign intervention in the crisis. “Definitely the solution in Syria is not the solution suggested by the Arab League, which we have rejected. They have abandoned their role as the Arab League and we no longer want Arab solutions to the crisis,” Muallem said.
“Heading to the [UN] Security Council will be the third stage in their plan, and the only thing left is the last step of internationalisation,” he told a news conference in Damascus. “They can head to New York or to the moon. So long as we are not paying for their tickets it is none of our concern.”
The bloodshed in Syria, whose revolt was inspired by others that have toppled three Arab leaders, has battered Assad's standing in the world, with Iran among his few remaining allies.
Turkey's statement said it has attached importance to the efforts of the Arab League to end violence in Syria, where the crisis, it said, threatens stability not only in the country but also in the entire region. It added that the Arab League decision, taken under the consideration of reports by Arab monitors, indicates that the Syrian regime is not serious about living up to its commitments.
Turkey also demanded the Syrian regime immediately halt violence, withdraw all military forces from all cities and residential areas, release all political prisoners and allow Arab League monitors and international media to freely cover events in the country. The statement also noted that all relevant international actors must act with one voice and determination regarding the situation in Syria which threatens regional peace and security.
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