ALGIERS, April 23, 2012 (AFP)
ALGIERS, April 23, 2012 (AFP)
Arab League Secretary General Nabil El-Arabi Monday called for a ceasefire and the start of a political process to end the Syrian crisis.
“There’s now an international consensus on two points — a global ceasefire and the start of a political process,” El-Arabi told reporters at a press conference held jointly with Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci.
“A political solution cannot be considered separately from today’s goal of achieving a ceasefire,” he said.
El-Arabi said the ball was now in the court of international envoy Kofi Annan’s whose peace plan for Syria, including a ceasefire between Syrian troops and rebels, has led to a drop in recent violence.
The number of ceasefire observers in Syria is to reach 30 in the coming days pending the arrival at the beginning of next week of an expanded team of up to 300 to monitor the UN and Arab League-brokered truce.
The United Nations has said that more than 9,000 people have been killed since the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime broke out in March 2011.
