Arab chief warns of Syria civil war

The head of the Arab League warned today that Syria may be sliding toward civil war, as security forces fired on thousands of people who poured into the streets in support of army defectors.

Over the course of the 10-month-old uprising, much of the violence has been from security forces firing on unarmed protesters.

But in recent months breakaway soldiers have been attacking the Syrian military, and some opposition members have taken up arms against the regime, adding to the violence.

Despite that, President Bashar Assad appears to maintain a firm grip on power in the face of growing international pressure to halt his crackdown and step down.

The Arab League chief, Nabil Elaraby, told The Associated Press that Assad’s regime was either not complying or only partially complying with an Arab League plan that Syria signed last month to end its crackdown.

“We are very concerned because there were certain commitments that were not complied with,” he said in Cairo, where the League is based. “If this continues, it may turn into civil war.”

The UN estimates more than 5,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces killed one protester in the town of Ariha in the north-western province of Idlib, where more than 20,000 people were demonstrating today.

The Observatory reported violence in the southern province of Daraa, the eastern region of Deir el-Zour and the central province of Homs, all centres of frequent protests.

The Arab League plan calls for removing Syrian forces and heavy weapons from city streets, starting talks with opposition leaders and allowing human rights workers and journalists into the country.

An Arab League team of observers began work in Syria on December 27 to offer an outside view of whether the government is keeping to its agreement to end the military crackdown on dissent.

The mission has been plagued by problems, including accusations that the Syrian government is interfering with the team’s work. This week, one of the observers resigned and told the TV channel Al-Jazeera that the monitor mission was a “farce” because of Syrian government control.

Adnan al-Khudeir, head of the Cairo operations room to which the monitors report, told reporters that two more observers, from Algeria and Sudan, would be returning to their home countries. He did not identify them but said the Algerian gave health reasons and the Sudanese cited personal reasons.

From the beginning, eyebrows were raised over the appointment of Sudanese General Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi as chief of the observer force. He served in key security positions under Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for crimes against humanity in Darfur.