Arab League nations meet to discuss the suspension of Syria

The Arab League met last night in emergency session to discuss whether to suspend Syria, increasing the pressure on Damascus to end its crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Suspension is unlikely to have a direct, tangible impact on Syria, but it would still be a major blow to president Bashar al-Assad’s embattled regime by stripping Damascus of its Arab support and further deepening its isolation.

Despite the growing international chorus for an end to the crisis, Mr Assad has shown no sign of easing his campaign to crush the seven-month-old uprising. Yesterday, security forces opened fire on a funeral for a slain activist in the east, while forces arrested at least 44 people in the capital’s suburbs.

Arab League officials said the meeting in Cairo was called at the behest of several Gulf countries and aimed to pressure Mr Assad to halt the crackdown, which the United Nations says has killed more than 3,000 people since the uprising began in March.

Many Gulf states have withdrawn their ambassadors from Syria in protest against the regime’s bloody response to the protests. Other Arab countries, however, have remained silent or reluctant in their criticism of the Syrian crackdown.

The suspension of an Arab League member is very rare.

The 22-member league suspended Libya’s membership earlier this year after Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi launched a violent crackdown on protesters there.

The league has since reinstated Libya under the country’s new leadership.

International intervention is all but out of the question in Syria. Syria is a geographical and political keystone in the heart of the Middle East, bordering five countries with which it shares religious and ethnic minorities.

Its web of allegiances extends to Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement and Iran’s Shiite theocracy.

About 2,000 anti-Assad protesters gathered outside the Arab League building on the edge of Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

“Oh, Bashar, son of a dog, go away, Bashar!” they shouted. “Freedom is on fire. Go away, Bashar.”

The newly-formed opposition body known as the Syrian National Council called on the Arab League to suspend Syria’s membership “until a new regime is born”. It also appealed for the council to recognise it as the “sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people”.

Saudi political scientist Khalid al-Dakhil said a suspension would send a powerful message.

“The Arab League silence was like a green light to the regime to continue killings. It gave a cover for the Syrian regime,” he said.

A bloc of six Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia is pushing for suspension and a recognition of the opposition national council.

Against the measures are Sudan, Algeria, Syria’s neighbour Lebanon and Yemen, whose leader is also facing a serious uprising.