Arab League passes sanctions against Syria

THE Arab League yesterday overwhelmingly approved sanctions against Syria to pressure Damascus to end its eight-month crackdown on dissent, an unprecedented move by the League against an Arab state.

Beforehand, Syria said the vote was a betrayal of Arab solidarity. Besides punishing an already ailing economy, the sanctions are a huge blow for a Syrian regime that considers itself a powerhouse of Arab nationalism.

Qatari foreign minister Hamad bin Jassim said 19 of the League’s 22 member nations approved the sanctions, which include cutting off transactions with the Syrian central bank and halting Arab government funding for projects in Syria. Iraq and Lebanon abstained.

“We aim to avoid any suffering for the Syrian people,” bin Jassim said.

The sanctions are the latest in a growing wave of international pressure pushing Syria to end its violent suppression of protests against President Bashar al-Assad, which the UN says has killed more than 3,500 people since March.

Arab League secretary general Nabil Elaraby said the bloc will reconsider the sanctions if Syria carries out an Arab-brokered peace plan that includes sending observers to the country and pulling tanks from the streets. “We call on Syria to quickly approve the Arab initiative,” he said.

The state-owned Al-Thawra newspaper ran a front-page headline saying the Arab League is calling for “economic and commercial sanctions targeting the Syrian people.” It said the measure is “unprecedented and contradicts the rules of Arab cooperation.”

Since the revolt began, the regime has blamed armed gangs acting out a foreign conspiracy for the bloodshed.

It is not clear whether Arab sanctions will succeed in pressuring the regime into ending the violence, which many fear is pushing Syria towards civil war.

Until recently, most of the bloodshed was caused by security forces firing on mainly peaceful protests. Lately, there have been growing reports of army defectors and armed civilians fighting Assad’s forces — a development some say plays into the regime’s hands by giving government troops a pretext to crack down with overwhelming force.

Yesterday activists reported fierce clashes in the flashpoint city of Homs, in central Syria, pitting soldiers against army defectors.

It is estimated that about 26 people were killed in Homs and elsewhere across the country yesterday, although the figure is impossible to confirm.

Many of the attacks against Syrian security forces are believed to be carried out by a group of army defectors known as the Free Syrian Army.

The Arab League’s recommendations for sanctions specified that the Arab bloc will assist Syria with emergency aid through the help of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Also yesterday, Jordanian foreign minister Nasser Judeh acknowledged that 100 Syrian military and police deserters have taken refuge in the kingdom. It was the first official public confirmation that Jordan hosts Syrian defectors.