Arab League Holds 'Frank' Talks with Assad

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

An Arab League team held "frank" talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday at the start of a bid to mediate with the opposition.

"The meeting with President Assad was frank and friendly and we are going to continue our talks on October 30," said Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani.

"We took note of the commitment of the Syrian government to work with the Arab committee to reach a solution."

Headed by Qatar, the League's current chair, the delegation comprises the foreign ministers of Algeria, Egypt, Oman and Sudan, in addition to Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi.

Faced with a tough mission, Arabi has said he hopes "the Syrian regime will agree to this initiative, and begin with genuine reforms," in comments to pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat.

"It is my prerogative as secretary general of the Arab League to meet with any member of the peaceful opposition," said Arabi, referring to a "disagreement" with Damascus after he met members of the Syrian opposition.

At an emergency session in Cairo on October 16, the 22-member League called for "national dialogue" between the government and opposition by the end of October to help end the violence and avoid "foreign intervention" in Syria.

Syria's representative to the 22-member Arab League, Youssef Ahmed, slammed what he said was a "conspiracy" against Assad's regime at the Cairo meeting.

But the initiative has also been opposed by the opposition.

"Arabs, do not get more involved in the bloodshed against us," said the Syrian Revolution General Commission, a coalition representing some 40 opposition blocs.

"We will not accept anything less than Bashar al-Assad's resignation and his trial," they said.

The Syrian opposition called a nationwide general strike in protest against the regime's crackdown on protest that has left at least 3,000 people dead since mid-March, according to U.N. figures.

The leading opposition group, the Syrian National Council, urged "all categories of people to go on strike" on Wednesday ahead of the launch of massive campaign of civil disobedience.

"The strike is an expression of the desire to pursue a peaceful campaign until victory," an NSC statement said, adding that a strike had been observed in Daraa, cradle of the protests, for the past six days.

Comments 6
Default-user-icon Bigadash (Guest) 26 October 2011, 17:04

mASS pro-ASSad? Gabby, did you hear that? What are we going to do now? It's been one full week past your three months and the ASSad regime is still hanging tight! What's next, my friend? Enlighten us.

Default-user-icon Gabby (Guest) 26 October 2011, 17:05

There will be no national dialog. Bashar kills all opposition members. No one trusts him. Arm the opposition and get it over with.

Default-user-icon TITUS (Guest) 26 October 2011, 17:23

Too little.... too late.... too futile....!! The Genocidal Assad criminal regime's fate is sealed the only negotiations that should be happening at this stage is if Assad and his gang would prefer a trial by the SNC or in the Hague, A week from now the Assad mob will have no options left except to suffer the fate of Kaddhafi. No amount of theatrics with these regime organized and instigated fake protests will work, since most of these so called "Pro Assad protestors" are already looking forward to a free prosperous democratic future after the fall of the corrupt Assad family criminal regime. This self created bubble of illusionary "people support" these dictators live in usually bursts in a very sudden manner in the end with catastrophic outcomes for the ousted dictators ....

Default-user-icon 442 (Guest) 26 October 2011, 17:32

arabs

Default-user-icon MUSTAPHA O. GHALAYINI (Guest) 26 October 2011, 19:16

arab league intervening... mediating....= civil war
it will intensify day by day, assad will not fall, peace will fall

Default-user-icon Gabby (Guest) 26 October 2011, 21:59

Hey Bigadash......di he empty the schools, factories, and government buildings at gunpoint? Why aren't these demonstrations happening on days when the Arab League is not in town? Why doesn't he let in all foreign media so they can report on his glorius demonstration??? Oh thats right in a totalitarian state whne new media "freedoms" have just been granted the news is still snuffed out and only the pro-ASSad frauds are broadcast on state TV. Like those videos from the beach over the summer when he was slaughtering people.

Get a life Bigadash....."Pro-ASSad" demonstrations occur with the barrel of a gun off camera.