Cairo meeting: Syria regime ‘fully accepts’ Arab peace plan

Blueprint includes complete end to violence.


Afp November 04, 2011

CAIRO:


Syria on Wednesday fully accepted an Arab League plan to end nearly eight months of bloodshed, a League official said, although the UN chief warned that the regime still has to implement the deal as agreed.


A rights group, meanwhile, said more than 30 people died in the latest violence, including 15 members of the Syrian security forces killed in attacks by army deserters.

The agreement announced at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo came amid huge pressure on President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to end weeks of prevarication and sign up to the deal drawn up by the pan-Arab bloc.

“The Syrian delegation accepted the Arab League plan without reservations and in its entirety,” the League official said.

The peace plan agreed to by Syria, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, provides for a “complete halt to the violence to protect civilians.”

More than 3,000 people have died in the government’s bloody crackdown on the unprecedented protests against Assad’s rule which broke out in mid-March, according to UN figures.

The blueprint also calls for the “release of people detained as a result of the recent events, the withdrawal of forces from towns and districts where there have been armed clashes, and the granting of access to the Arab League, and Arab and international media.”

It stipulates that “the Arab ministerial committee (headed by the prime minister of Qatar) will conduct consultations with the government and the various Syrian opposition parties aimed at launching a national dialogue.”

The text does not specify a venue for the dialogue, a bone of contention between the government, which insists on Damascus, and the opposition which says it should be outside Syria.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani said “if Syria does not respect its commitments, the ministerial committee will meet again and take the necessary decisions.”

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said the main aim was “to provide an Arab solution which sends a clear message to the Syrian people of qualitative progress towards halting all forms of violence.”

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said it was vital that Assad’s regime now swiftly implement the agreement in full.

“He must implement the agreement as soon as possible as agreed,” Ban told a news conference in Tripoli.

“People have suffered to much for too long and it’s an unacceptable situation,” the UN chief said. “Killing civilians must stop immediately in Syria.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2011.

COMMENTS (1)

Faisal | 12 years ago | Reply

This is a good news on the part of peace and stability in the region. Asad took a great decision.With this step peace prevail in the region.

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