Arab League set to announce plan to end Syrian uprising
President Bashar al-Assad's government has reportedly agreed to a plan to end the Syrian uprising. Leaked details include the release of all political prisoners, a new constitution, and free elections.
Syrians who live in Greece march during an anti-Assad rally in Athens on Monday.
Yannis Behrakis/Reuters
Syria and the Arab League are expected to announce a plan today to end the eight-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's government that has left at least 3,000 dead.
Skip to next paragraphRecent posts
-
12.30.11
Israeli general hints at another Gaza campaign -
12.29.11
Unclaimed attack on Islamic school raises tension in Nigeria -
12.28.11
See no evil? Activists doubt credibility of Arab League mission to Syria. -
12.27.11
Arab League observers head to Syria's war-ravaged Homs -
12.26.11
Christmas church bombings put global spotlight on 'Nigerian Taliban' (VIDEO)
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
Leaked details of the plan outline significant concessions from the Assad regime, but ahead of the announcement the Syrian opposition and its international backers were skeptical that such concessions would actually be implemented.
The Associated Press reports that several Arab League diplomats confirmed that a plan to resolve the Syrian conflict would be revealed on Wednesday in Cairo, though they spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposal is not yet public. According to the diplomats, the plan will entail withdrawal of Syria's tanks from the streets, release of all political prisoners, a new constitution, and free presidential and parliamentary elections.
Officially, the League has said it is still awaiting a response from Syria, according to various Arab media. Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reports that the Arab League deputy secretary general, Ahmed Ben Helli, told Al-Arabiya television that "until now, the Arab League has not been informed of Syria's formal response to the Arab initiative."
The plan appears to go further than the Arab League's initial proposal. Al Jazeera English writes that the proposal entailed the military withdrawal and the prisoner release, but stopped short of free elections and a new constitution. Rather, the League sought deployment of Arab monitors to the country and that Damascus open a dialogue with the opposition.
These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the above story is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate any copyright[s]. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.