Arab League to end Syria mission, seeks UN force

Arabs will end their observer mission to Syria and will ask the UN Security Council to send an international peacekeeping force to end the bloodshed there, according to a draft resolution obtained by Reuters on Sunday. (more…)

GCC considering formal recognition of Syrian opposition

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are paving the way for regime change in Syria as they consider extending formal recognition to the Syrian Transitional Council (STC) as the representative of the Syrian people in a move that would mark the end of official relations with the Bashar Al-Assad regime. (more…)

Arab League wants UN to form joint Syria force

The Arab League will call on the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution creating a joint peacekeeping force for Syria. (more…)

Al-Qaeda Chief urges Syrians to depend on Allah not the west

Al-Qaida’s chief has called on Muslims from other countries to support rebels in Syria seeking to overthrow President Bashar Assad, saying they cannot depend on the West for help.

Ayman al-Zawahri, in a videotaped statement released late Saturday, asked Muslims in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon (more…)

Syrian Forces Press Homs Assault as Violence Spills into Lebanon

Syrian forces pressed their efforts to stamp out dissent against the reign of President Bashar al- Assad in the central city of Homs as violence spilled over into neighboring Lebanon.

Syrian soldiers killed 10 people today in Homs, including five in Baba Amr neighborhood, Al Arabiya television reported, citing the Syrian Revolution General Commission. In the Lebanese city of Tripoli, two people were killed yesterday in clashes between (more…)

Tunisia to host ‘Friends of Syria’ meeting

Tunisia says it will host the inaugural meeting of the “Friends of Syria” group to explore ways to further isolate President Bashar Assad, support his foes and end violence.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem told a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo that his North African nation was ready to host the Feb. 24 meeting. (more…)

Head of Syria’s Arab League observer mission resigns

The Arab League accepted the resignation of the Sudanese general who had led an Arab monitoring mission to Syria, and proposed appointing a former Jordanian foreign minister as a special envoy for the Syrian crisis, Egypt’s state news agency reported on Sunday. (more…)

Arab recognition of Syria opposition imminent: SNC

Arab recognition of the opposition Syrian National Council is imminent, SNC member Ahmed Ramadan said in Qatar on Saturday, ahead of key talks in the Egyptian capital on the crisis. (more…)

Angry Over Syria, Arab World Threatens Russian Boycott

Russia and China may have surprised few when they vetoed a draft UN resolution on February 4 condemning the Syrian regime’s nearly yearlong crackdown against anti-government protesters.

But they angered many. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the move a “travesty.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned of “disastrous” consequences for the Syrian people. (more…)

Brazil Slowly Moves Towards Condemning Syria Violence

Brazil, a rising economic and diplomatic power in the developing, expressed support for efforts by the Arab League to end the ongoing violence in Syria.

Catherine Ashton, the foreign affairs chief of the European Union (EU) met with Brazilian foreign minister Antonio Patriota in Brasilia on Monday to discuss both the situation in Syria and Iran. (more…)