Arab League body urges withdrawal of Syria monitors

AN Arab League advisory body called yesterday for the immediate withdrawal of the organisation’s monitoring mission in Syria, saying it was allowing Damascus to cover up continued violence and abuses.

Meanwhile, Syrian pro- democracy protesters saw the New Year in with demonstrations, activists said, as a child was reportedly shot dead, becoming the first victim in 2012 of the regime’s crackdown on dissent.

The Arab League has sent a small team to Syria to check whether President Bashar al-Assad is keeping his promise to end a crackdown on a nine-month uprising against his rule.