DUSHANBE, January 8, 2012, Asia-Plus — Arab League foreign ministers are meeting in Cairo today to discuss whether to ask the United Nations to step in over the Syrian government’s repression of pro-democracy activists, Euronews reported.
If the UN does get involved, human rights experts could join monitors to assess if Syrian officials are honoring a pledge to stop a 10 month-old crackdown.
According to Reuters, pro-democracy campaigners have described the current observer mission as “toothless.” Despite claims to the contrary, analysts say there’s been no slackening of violence since the monitors began their work nearly two weeks ago.
10 new observers arrived on Saturday, bringing the total number of Arab League observers to 153.
Meanwhile, international media outlets report that activists said that at least 27 people died across the country on Saturday.
The clashes came as thousands joined a state-organized funeral for victims of a bomb blast on Friday in Damascus. At least 26 people died in that attack, some of them members of the security forces.
Authorities blamed what they described as pro-democracy “terrorists” for Friday’s attack. But the opposition Syrian National Council said the government staged the bombing.
The BBC reports the Arab League observers have been in Syria since late December to monitor compliance with a peace plan under which the government promised to withdraw the military from the streets and cease its use of force against civilians.
The UN says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began 10 months ago.
Critics say Mr. Assad is using the monitors” presence as a political cover and that attacks continue.
The BBC reports that according to the Syrian opposition Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), 27 people died around the country on Saturday – eight in Homs, 13 in Idlib, five in the suburbs of Damascus and one in Hama. Local opposition groups said 35 had been killed on Friday, in the anti-government protests which have routinely followed Friday prayers. None of these numbers can be verified, the BBC noted.
Saturday”s funerals were held at a mosque in the district of Midan, where Friday”s bomb attack took place. It is usually a hotbed of protests against the government.
But analysts said the ceremony and procession had clearly been organized by the authorities, with many participants carrying pictures of Mr. Assad or national flags, which were also used to cover the coffins.
The Damascus blast happened at a busy junction in the Midan district of Damascus.
Interior Minister Ibrahim al-Shaar blamed the attack on a suicide bomber, who he said had “detonated himself with the aim of killing the largest number of people.”
