News
Obama steps up the pressure on Syria – calls on Assad to step down
“We talked about the importance of continuing to consult closely together to encourage the Palestinians and the Israelis to come back to the table and negotiate in a serious fashion,” Obama said.
Meanwhile, Syria on Tuesday ruled out any deployment of Arab troops to halt 10 months of deadly unrest as proposed by Qatar, as army defectors appealed to the UN Security Council to intervene.
“Syria rejects the statements of officials of Qatar on sending Arab troops to worsen the crisis… and pave the way for foreign intervention,” the foreign ministry said.
“The Syrian people refuse any foreign intervention in any name. They will oppose any attempt to undermine the sovereignty of Syria and the integrity of its territory,” a ministry statement said.
“It would be regrettable for Arab blood to flow on Syria’s territory to serve known interests,” the ministry added, without elaborating.
In an interview with U.S. television aired at the weekend, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, said he favoured sending Arab troops to Syria to “stop the killing.”
The Arab League is due to discuss the crisis in Syria on Saturday and Sunday, and is expected to discuss the future of its widely criticized observer mission in the country.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad Eddin Othmani told AFP the meetings would “decide on how to continue the mission and what shape it should take,” based on a report to be delivered by the observers’ chief.
