Arab League Suspends Syria

The Arab League voted on Saturday to suspend Syria from all activities until the Syrian government implements a plan to end the violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators. The League also threatened economic and political sanctions if President Bashar al-Assad’s government did not comply in ending the bloodshed. The League’s announcement was a blow to Syrian leadership which sees itself as the champion of Arab nationalism as Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al-Thani, the Qatari prime minister, said the League would “suspend Syrian delegations’ activities in Arab League meetings,” and called for all member nations to withdrawal their ambassadors from Syria.

However, Syrian representative Youssef Ahmed told Syrian state TV  the decision showed the league was “serving a Western and American agenda,” and was reported to be yelling throughout the whole meeting. International leaders applauded the League’s decision as President Barack Obama noted in a statement, “these significant steps expose the increasing diplomatic isolation of a regime that has systematically violated human rights and repressed peaceful protests.” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also praised the decision, noting the “Arab League took a strong and historic stance aimed at stopping the violence in Syria and protecting Syrian civilians.”