Syria ignores crackdown deadline
- 13 years ago
PLEASE NOTE EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
PLEASE NOTE: REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT OF VIDEO WHICH HAS BEEN OBTAINED FROM A SOCIAL MEDIA WEB SITE.
The Arab League has rejected a request by Damascus to change plans for a fact finding mission to Syria.
It would include military personnel and human rights experts.
Syria's foreign minister said the plan compromised the country's sovereignty.
(SOUNDBITE) SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WALID AL-MOUALEM, SAYING (Arabic):
"The (Arab league) plan, as given to us, says the League's mission has the right to act. This violates our jurisdiction and compromises our country's sovereignty. This is unprecedented in the work of regional organisations - where a regional organisation is working against the benefit of one of its members."
Syria ignored a deadline set by the League to stop its crackdown against protesters.
It's blaming the violence on foreign-backed armed groups.
Amateur video from a social media website appears to show tanks firing at a village in Idleb on Sunday, a day after the deadline passed.
It's not clear what action the Arab League would take.
It has threatened sanctions against Syria.
Reuters cannot independently verify the content of this footage.
An all too regular sight in Syria, as people filled the streets for a funeral procession seen in further footage from a social media website.
This one is in Homs.
The United Nations said the violence has killed at least 3,500 people since March.
Marie-Claire Fennessy, Reuters
PLEASE NOTE: REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT OF VIDEO WHICH HAS BEEN OBTAINED FROM A SOCIAL MEDIA WEB SITE.
The Arab League has rejected a request by Damascus to change plans for a fact finding mission to Syria.
It would include military personnel and human rights experts.
Syria's foreign minister said the plan compromised the country's sovereignty.
(SOUNDBITE) SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WALID AL-MOUALEM, SAYING (Arabic):
"The (Arab league) plan, as given to us, says the League's mission has the right to act. This violates our jurisdiction and compromises our country's sovereignty. This is unprecedented in the work of regional organisations - where a regional organisation is working against the benefit of one of its members."
Syria ignored a deadline set by the League to stop its crackdown against protesters.
It's blaming the violence on foreign-backed armed groups.
Amateur video from a social media website appears to show tanks firing at a village in Idleb on Sunday, a day after the deadline passed.
It's not clear what action the Arab League would take.
It has threatened sanctions against Syria.
Reuters cannot independently verify the content of this footage.
An all too regular sight in Syria, as people filled the streets for a funeral procession seen in further footage from a social media website.
This one is in Homs.
The United Nations said the violence has killed at least 3,500 people since March.
Marie-Claire Fennessy, Reuters