Dubai: Syria rejected Sunday a call from the Arab League calling for "an end to the bloodshed before it was too late".
In a statement seen by AFP, Syria said the call amounted to "a clear violation ... of the principles of the Arab League charter and of the foundations of joint Arab action."
On Saturday evening, an Arab League meeting in Cairo came up with "an initiative to solve the crisis" to be delivered personally to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad by Arab League Chief Nabeel Al Arabi, although no time was specified. Also, an "important" Russian envoy will visit Al Assad today.
Turkish President and former ally, Abdullah Gul, however, said he had no more confidence in the Syrian president. "Actually [the situation in Syria] reached a level that everything is too little, too late," Gul said.
Meanwhile, Al Assad amended Syria's draconian media laws yesterday, lifting the threat of imprisonment for journalists and allowing greater access to information, the official news agency Sana reported.
Four deaths were reported overnight in Idlib and the Damascus suburb of Harasta. According to a statement published on the internet by the Free Officers, a group that says it represents defectors, said "large defections" occurred in Harasta following the incident.
— With inputs from agencies
