Violence Escalates in Syria Ahead of New Arab League Deadline

Violence has escalated in Syria ahead of another Arab League deadline, leaving 35 people dead. The Arab League threatened further sanctions if Syria did not accept international human rights observers into the country, and gave Syria until Sunday to accept the plan. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Jabr al-Thani said: “we asked the Syrian minister of foreign affairs if the Syrian government will agree to sign tomorrow [Sunday] and we are still waiting for a reply… Aside from the deadline, we are willing to convince them that this is the right way – to sign the protocol and agree on the Arab initiative as it is.” ”Messages are being exchanged between Syria and the Arab League to reach a certain vision that would facilitate the mission of observers in Syria, while preserving Syrian interests and sovereignty,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told reporters in Damascus.

The deadline comes as violence has flared in Syria where battles between Syrian troops and army defectors have left dozens dead in the past few days. On Saturday “the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 11 civilians were among 23 people killed mainly in Idli.” Reuters reported that members of the Syrian secret police have defected, marking a major desertion “from a service that has acted as a pillar of President Bashar al-Assad‘s rule.” Razan Ghazzawi, a Syrian blogger, was arrested on Sunday as the government has been arresting many prominent bloggers and activists.