Arab League votes overwhelmingly for sanctions on Syria

Before the vote, Damascus slammed the vote as a betrayal of Arab solidarity. Besides punishing an already ailing economy, the sanctions are a huge blow for a Syrian regime that considers itself a powerhouse of Arab nationalism.

At a news conference in Cairo, Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim said 19 of the league’s 22 member nations approved the sanctions, which include cutting off transactions with the Syrian central bank and halting Arab government funding for projects in Syria. Iraq and Lebanon abstained.

“We aim to avoid any suffering for the Syrian people,” Mr bin Jassim said.

The sanctions are the latest in a growing wave of international pressure pushing Syria to end its violent suppression of protests against President Bashar Assad, which the United Nations says has killed more than 3,500 people since March.

Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby said the bloc would reconsider the sanctions if Syria carried out an Arab-brokered peace plan that includes sending observers to the country and getting tanks off the streets.

“We call on Syria to quickly approve the Arab initiative,” he said.

The Syrian state-owned Al-Thawra newspaper ran a front-page headline yesterday saying the Arab League was calling for “economic and commercial sanctions targeting the Syrian people.” It said the measure was “unprecedented and contradicts the rules of Arab cooperation”.

Since the revolt began, the regime has blamed the bloodshed on armed gangs working for a foreign conspiracy.

It is not clear whether Arab sanctions will succeed in getting the Syrian regime to end the violence that has killed dozens of Syrians, week after week. Many fear the violence is pushing the country toward civil war.

Until recently, most of the bloodshed was caused by security forces firing on mainly peaceful protests. Lately, there have been reports of army defectors and civilians fighting Mr Assad’s forces.

Yesterday, activists reported fierce clashes in the flashpoint city of Homs, in central Syria, pitting soldiers against army defectors.

Activists put the death toll from violence in Homs and elsewhere yesterday at 26.