Cairo, February 12, 2012 (AFP)
Cairo, February 12, 2012 (AFP)
Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo on Sunday to mull their next move on Syria where a bloody 11-month crackdown has left thousands dead, an official told AFP.
The meeting, chaired by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, was to look into the possibility of forming “a joint UN-Arab League peacekeeping mission in Syria,” the official said.
The top diplomats will also discuss sending an Arab envoy to Syria and discuss political and economic punitive measures on the country, after the 22-member body agreed sweeping sanctions during a meeting in November.
Arab diplomats were holding marathon talks on Sunday that began with a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, followed by the Arab League committee on Syria.
Earlier, an Arab League official told AFP that Sudanese General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi was due to officially hand in his resignation at the foreign ministers’ meeting.
The 22-member League has put forward a plan for Assad to hand over power to
his deputy and for the formation of a government of national unity ahead of
elections.