Arab League Draws Up Sanctions against Syria

Arab finance ministers gathered in Cairo on Saturday drew up a list of economic sanctions against Syria that they will present to foreign ministers for adoption, a communique said.

The recommendation -- which includes a ban on Syrian officials visiting any Arab country and the freezing of government assets -- comes after President Bashar Assad's regime defied an ultimatum to allow in observers amid a lethal crackdown on protest.

Arab top diplomats will meet in Cairo on Sunday to vote on the sanctions.

The list of punitive measures also included the suspension of flights and a halt to any transactions with the Syrian government and its central bank.

Arab states are also called to freeze any investments for projects in Syria.

The Arab League had set a Friday deadline for Damascus to agree to the details of the observers' mission, part of a reform deal Syria had previously said it accepted.

If adopted, the sanctions are likely to have a crippling effect on Syria which relies on its Arab neighbors for half of its exports and a quarter of its imports.

The United Nations estimates that the Syrian government's crackdown has cost more than 3,500 lives since March.