Syria Would Accept Extending Arab League Mission

This Thursday, the Arab League observer team is expected to release a report that details the findings of its mission in Syria since December 26. Although the monitor’s mandate is scheduled to expire with the release of the report, Arab foreign ministers will meet again to discuss potentially renewing the mission on January 22. A source within the Arab League stated, “the outcome of the contacts that have taken place over the past week between the Arab League and Syria have affirmed that Syria will not reject the renewal of the Arab monitoring mission for another month… if the Arab foreign ministers call for this.” Last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “the monitoring mission should not continue indefinitely.  We cannot permit President Assad and his regime to have impunity. ”

As reports from the Arab League’s monitors continue to mount, Nabil Elaraby, secretary general of the Arab League, voiced his concerns about the continued unrest, and said,  ”I fear a civil war and the events that we see and hear about now could lead to a civil war.” To better equip the Arab League observers in Syria, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has agreed to offer training in Cairo before they deploy to Syria. The new observers will most likely be deployed after the Arab League holds their ministerial meetings on January 22.