Arab leaders urge Assad to act on peace plan

Arab leaders dropped a demand that Bashar al-Assad give up the presidency of Syria but urged him to act quickly on a UN-backed peace plan he has accepted, as fighting between Syrian troops and rebels killed at least another 22 people.

“The solution for the crisis is still in the hands of the Syrians as a government and opposition,” Arab League secretary general Nabil Elaraby told Arab heads of state at a summit meeting in Baghdad.

Syria’s opposition groups continue to demand that Assad must go and have not agreed to peace talks.