Arab League halts Syria mission

The Arab League has halted its observer mission in Syria because of the increasing violence, the deputy chief of the pan-Arab body said.

Deputy secretary-general Ahmed Ben Heli said the 100 observers still in Syria have stopped their work after a decision by member states because of the sharp spike of bloodshed in recent days.

He says the observers are staying in their Damascus hotel until further notice.

At least 80 people have been killed in the past three days in Syria.

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby and the prime minister of Qatar are heading to New York today to seek UN support for an Arab plan to end Syria’s crisis.