“Arab League Rejects Syria’s Demand to Change Peace Plan”

The Arab League rejected proposed amendments from Syria to sending monitors in an effort to end the violence.  In a letter released by the League stated, “The additions requested by the Syrian counterpart affect the heart of the protocol and fundamentally change the nature of the mission.” The Arab League decided to meet on Thursday to discuss heavy sanctions on Syria and expulsion from the regional bloc, as President Bashar al-Assad has said his “country will not bow to pressure and predicted the conflict would continue.” Syria’s foreign minister,Walid al-Moualem, attacked the Arab League, saying it was being used as a tool of the West, and that sending monitors to Syria would violate its sovereignty.

Meanwhile, insurgents attacked offices of the ruling Baath party in Damascus, marking the second attack in the capital in days. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported “unknown gunmen on motorcycles threw first a stun grenade and then fired RPGs at the Baath party headquarters, hitting the outside wall of the building.” The highly symbolic attack  marks a new chapter in the uprising, as it could be a sign of a turn to an armed struggle.