Arab League to Suspend Syria Over Killings

In stinging rebuke to Assad regime, regional body threatens sanctions, mounts pressure

The Arab League approved on Saturday a sweeping package of measures censuring Syria, clearing the way for a significant escalation of international pressure against President Bashar al-Assad and deepening the isolation of his increasingly embattled government. The 22-member regional body said it would suspend Syria’s membership, impose sanctions and seek UN help unless the Syrian government stops using violence to suppress the country’s eight-month-old uprising. At least 3.500 civilians have died in the crackdown, according to the UN. The Arab League also summoned opposition leaders to a meeting within the next three days to formulate “a unified view of the coming transition period,” offering the clearest indication yet that the region is moving closer to US President Barack Obama’s position that Assad should step down. The unexpectedly sever measures suggested that Arab states are already starting to plan for a post-Assad era. That wills in turn increase pressure on other powers that have so far refrained from taking action against Syria, notably Russia, China and Turkey, opening the door to the kind of international consensus on Syria that the US has been seeking to build, analysts said. “This is a diplomatic game-changer,” said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brooking Doha Center in Qatar. “It’s a significant moment that foretells greater international isolation and pressure on the Assad regime.”