Gulf States Withdraw Observers from Syria

On Tuesday,  the Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C) announced that it withdrew its monitors from the Arab League Mission observing the situation in Syria. The Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal explained “it is not right that we should be false witnesses to what is happening in Syria.” Moreover Dr. Ibrahim Suleiman, from the Saudi delegation of the Arab League mission in Syria, raised questions on the report that General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi, current head of the mission, submitted to the Arab League. Dr Suleiman blamed the report for being vague,  “what does he [al-Dabi] mean by explosions? When he speaks about the presence of violence…who is the source of this violence? Who are the armed fighters that he mentioned in the [Arab League] report?” the Saudi observer said. He also questioned the figures that the report affirmed, concerning the presence of media outlets in Syria. The Gulf Cooperation Council also called (in Arabic) on the “U.N. Security Council to  take all necessary actions to pressure on Syria to implement the resolutions of the Arab League and the Arab initiative on Syria.”

The BBC’s correspondent in Cairo Jon Leyne analysed the withdrawal of the G.C.C. observers, calling it a blow for the Arab League’s mission and an illustration of the division among the Arab League members to resolve the Syrian crisis.

During a conference held on Tuesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said that the Arab League proposal of the departure of the Syrian regime was a violation of the country’s sovereignty. Muallem declared that the League was “implementing the conspiracy they have agreed to abroad against Syria.” The Foreign Minister also announced a referendum on a new Syrian Constitution within two weeks.  The new constitution would limit a president to a maximum of two seven-year terms.

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby and Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, who heads the League’s committee on Syria, sent a joint letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon giving details of the organization’s latest plan for a political solution in Syria and requesting a meeting at the U.N. headquarter to discuss it.