The epithet that seemed to be perpetually attached to the Arab League was "toothless." On Sunday, however, the organization was baring fangs at Syria. In the absence of a detailed political roadmap from the Syrian opposition, the Arab League presented its own audacious plan, calling on Syrian President Bashar Assad to relinquish power to his vice president who would then form a national unity government within two months ahead of early parliamentary and presidential elections.
The proposal, outlined by Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani in a press conference at the League's headquarters in Cairo, also demands Assad begin a national dialogue with the opposition within two weeks, and that the unity government elect a council within three months of its formation to write a new constitution. "I call on Syrian authorities to accept their responsibilities before God, and their people and the Arab nation," Sheikh Hamad said, after a nearly-five hour meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo. "We know that Syria has entered a period of violence and counter violence." He added that the members of the opposition "are arming to defend themselves." (PHOTOS: Syria's Ongoing Protests)
The Arab League had met to consider a report submitted by Sudanese General Mohammad Ahmad al-Dabi, head of the League's monitoring mission in Syria. The month-long mission, which wrapped up on Thursday, had been tasked with verifying if Assad had implemented a signed agreement with the League to withdraw his tanks and troops from Syria's cities and towns, cease violence, free political prisoners and start a meaningful dialogue with the opposition. A low-level committee had recommended that the League's foreign ministers extend the mission by a month.
But instead of diplomatic politesse, proceedings were thrown into disarray after Saudi Arabia, stepped out of the background role it has played so far in the Syria crisis, to forcefully push for an end to the Syrian government's ferocious crackdown against its opponents. For months, Qatar has taken the lead on Syria. In a move that likely persuaded other countries, especially Gulf states, to take a stronger line against Damascus, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told his counterparts that his country would withdraw its observers from the much-criticized League monitoring mission in Syria due to the continued shedding of "blood that is dear to us all." (READ: The Crisis in Syria: No Immunity for Bystanders)
Assad had failed to comply with an Arab League plan to end the violence, Prince Saud said, adding that "all possible pressure" should be applied on Damascus to cease a blistering offensive that has claimed well over 5,000 lives in the past 10 months, and according to Syrian rights groups, almost 1,000 since observers first arrived in Syria on Dec. 26. "We are calling on the international community to bear its responsibility, and that includes our brothers in Islamic states and our friends in Russia, China, Europe and the United States," Prince Saud said.
The strong Saudi remarks hardened deep divides within the 22-member Arab League over how to tackle the Syrian problem. Due to the disagreements, the foreign ministers' meeting, originally scheduled for 4 p.m. Cairo time, was delayed for several hours. When it finally convened, the meeting lasted for nearly five hours. The decision to take its initiative to the United Nations Security Council did not receive the support of Algeria, which abstained from supporting that clause; Lebanon, once again in the grip of its larger, stronger neighbor Syria, rejected the pan-Arab deal.
Sheikh Hamad acknowledged that the Saudi stance had influenced its Gulf allies. "Saudi is an important country in the Gulf Cooperation Council," Sheikh Hamad said, referring to the political and economic alliance of six Gulf states. "It is like a father to all of the countries. We have disagreed with it many times, but this is the reality; If there is a clear opinion from the kingdom, the GCC will follow it."
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Qatar reiterated its call for dispatching Arab peacekeeping troops to Syria. Sheikh Hamad said the League had not seriously discussed that proposal, likening such a deployment to that of the so-called Arab Deterrent Force (comprised almost entirely of Syrian forces) dispatched during Lebanon's civil war. That mission ended disastrously when the Syrian military quickly became a party to the Lebanese conflict, rather than a peacekeeper. Still, the mere suggestion of Arab boots on the ground was a clear indication of how forceful the Arab League is prepared to be. Sheikh Hamad said Assad should accept the plan. "I think this is an honorable exit because it is a Syrian-Arab solution."
Arab League secretary general Nabil el-Araby told the joint news conference that he would appoint a special representative to oversee the implementation of the plan and to negotiate between the Syrian government and the opposition. Sheikh Hamad likened the League's roadmap for Syria to that outlined for Yemen. That comparison may cause some Syrians to cringe. It took Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh months or so to sign off on that deal. (Ironically, or perhaps not coincidentally, Saleh left Yemen on Sunday, after months of clinging to power and surviving an assassination attempt that left his hands and parts of his scalp severely burned.) (WATCH: Why They Protest: Egypt, Libya and Syria)
The plan is bold but there is one clear catch: Assad must agree to it, and as El-Araby said, the violence must cease "before the political operation begins." Based on Assad's previous dealings with an Arab League he deeply despises, he may effectively buy time by studying the initiative and providing the veneer of cooperation, while continuing what he has termed his "security solution" to the country's problems. On the other hand, Assad called for a national unity government in his most recent speech. Still, having the condition imposed on him by the League is another matter.
The League's plan makes it clear that the Syrian leader has been sidelined by his peers and has few friends in the region -- other than Iran, the Lebanese militant group Hizballah and the Lebanese government it dominates. Russia and China have shielded Assad from serious censure at the U.N., but the emboldened Arab consensus against Damascus as well as its plan to go to the Security Council formally may put added pressure on Russia and China to let a resolution pass.
The Syrian National Council (SNC), the main umbrella opposition group, welcomed the League's plan. In a late-night press conference following that of the Arab League, SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun said the Arab League's decision makes it clear "that most Arab countries now consider that the regime of Bashar al-Assad is over." El-Araby said that the League's roadmap was not discussed with the SNC. (In what was a long day of dramatic developments, the SNC had earlier called on the League to transfer the Syria file to the Security Council for referral to the International Criminal Court.) (LIST: Top 10 World News Stories of 2011)
The Arab League's new-found audacity, however, wasn't enough for one Syrian journalist present at the news conference. "You haven't listened to the Syrian people. The people want to execute Assad," he demanded of the Qatari foreign minister.
"Who has stopped them?" Sheikh Hamad retorted. "Have we stopped them?"
"You know Assad will reject this," the reporter continued.
"Well, what do you think we should do?" Sheikh Hamad said.
And that is where the drama stands.
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