Arab Group Wants to Pull Syria Monitors

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CAIRO (AP) — A pan-Arab body called Sunday for the immediate withdrawal of Arab League monitors in Syria, because President Bashar al-Assad’s government has continued to kill opponents, despite the monitors’ presence.

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The recommendation of the group, the 88-member Arab Parliament, is nonbinding. The group said that Arabs are angered by the Syrian government’s continuing killings while there are nearly 100 monitors in the country. The monitors are supposed to be ensuring that Syria complies with terms of the Arab League’s plan to end Syria’s bloody nine-month crackdown on dissent — a plan the Syrian government agreed to on Dec. 19.

The head of the Arab Parliament, Ali Salem al-Deqbasi of Kuwait, said the monitors’ presence is distracting from the “flagrant violations” committed by the Assad government.

“The mission of the Arab League team has missed its aim of stopping the killing of children and ensuring the withdrawal of troops from the Syrian streets, giving the Syrian regime a cover to commit inhumane acts under the noses of the Arab League observers,” Mr. Deqbasi said in a statement. Advocates said more than 150 people have been killed since the observers began their mission on Tuesday.

The Arab League created the Arab Parliament, which is made up of lawmakers and advisers from countries throughout the Middle East, although the Parliament operates separately from the League. While the Arab Parliament has little sway over Damascus or the League, Mr. Deqbasi’s remarks reflect concern about the monitors’ ability to deter Syria from killing protesters. The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have died as Syria tries to crush the revolt.

The Arab League plan calls for the Syrian government to remove its security forces and heavy weapons from cities, start talks with the opposition, allow human rights workers and journalists into the country, and release all political prisoners.

But the violence in Syria is reinforcing the opposition’s view that Syria’s limited cooperation with monitors is a ploy to forestall more outside sanctions.

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