Syria ‘agrees’ to Arab League peace plan
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad entered office in 2000 and is still currently clinging to power.
The Arab League unveiled a plan to end the violent crackdown by the Syrian regime on protestors, said Qatar's Foreign Minister, reports the Associated Press.
The proposal, which was announced in Cairo earlier today, calls on Syria to withdraw all tanks and armored vehicles from the streets, to stop violence against protesters, and to release all political prisoners. The Arab League hopes that Syria can begin a dialogue with the opposition within two weeks.
Syria has also agreed to allow journalists, representatives from the Arab League, and human rights groups into the country in order for them to monitor the situation in Syria.
However, the Associated Press reports that it still remains unclear whether the agreement between the Arab League and Syria will make a difference on the ground. Despite international criticism and promises of reform, Syria has continued its crackdown on anti-government protesters.
The UN has reported that more than 3,000 lives have been claimed in the government crackdown.
Before details of the plan had emerged to the public, Syria's state news agency, SANA, said that Syrian officials had agreed to the proposal said The New York Times.
The Guardian reported that he plan would give the Assad regime a deadline to remove tanks from the the streets and begin talks with the opposition.
According to Foreign Policy, Bashar al-Assad's government had accepted the plan that the Arab League presented on Sunday, but Arab League had yet to receive an official response from Syria.
The Arab League was expecting Syria's response to the proposal yesterday, reports the National.
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A Lebanese official with ties to Assad's regime has also presented a proposal to the Arab League. This proposal calls for the opposition to drop their weapons and for "the Arab states to end their funding for the weapons and the opposition, and an end to the media against Syria."
Opposition groups remain skeptical of the proposal as they believe the agreement helps keep the Assad regime in power.