Dubai: Jordan's King Abdullah, in a surprise statement on Monday said that Syrian President Bashar Al Assad should step down, making him the first Arab ruler to issue such a call following the regime's deadly crackdown on an eight-month-old uprising.
King Abdullah's call comes days after the Arab League voted to suspend Syria after more than 3,500 have died in the unrest.
"I believe, if I were in his shoes, I would step down," said King Abdullah. "I would step down and make sure whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo that we're seeing,"
His remarks were aired on the BBC after Al Assad's foreign minister, Walid Mua'allem, said the Syrian government would not budge despite being suspended from the Arab League.
"The decision of the Arab League to suspend Syria represents a dangerous step," Mua'allem said in Damascus, slamming the move as "shameful."
Rabat meeting
The unified Arab position also puts more pressure on the UN Security Council to impose sanctions, despite objections by Syrian allies Russia and China.
In Brussels, European Union nations tightened the noose on Syria, slapping new sanctions on Al Assad's regime and urging UN action to protect civilians.
Foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc blacklisted a further 18 Syrians bringing to 74 the members of Al Assad's inner circle hit in past months by an EU assets freeze and travel ban.
The names of those sanctioned will not be known until they are published in the EU's official journal in a day or two. Sanctions generally include visa and travel bans on people, the freezing of assets and prohibition on trade.
An Arab League official in Cairo said Syria's call for a summit would be discussed by Arab foreign ministers during their meeting in Rabat tomorrow.
The head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, warned of a possible internationalisation of the Syrian crisis if the regime does not comply with calls for reform and end the bloodshed.
Turkey's foreign minister, meanwhile, warned embattled leaders in Syria and other Middle East countries yesterday that those who cannot meet the demands of their people "will go".
Ahmet Davutoglu spoke a day after Ankara expressed outrage over weekend attacks on its diplomatic missions in Syria by pro-regime protesters and summoned the country's envoy. "Those in the Middle East who are not at peace with their people and cannot satisfy them will go," Davutoglu told a parliament committee, adding that Turkey would "take a very firm stand" in the wake of the attacks.
Fact-finding: 500-strongprobe team
The Arab League chief and Arab civil society groups agreed a plan on Monday to create a 500-strong fact-finding team to send to Syria as part of efforts to end a violent crackdown by the authorities against anti-government protests, participants said.
The Arab Medical Union's Ebrahim Al Zafarani said the 500-strong team would include military personnel. He was speaking after attending the meeting between League Secretary-General Nabeel Al Arabi and several Arab humanitarian and rights groups.
"Syria agreed to receive the [fact-finding] committee," Al Zafarani said, adding that Al Arabi had received a letter confirming Damascus would accept the team.
"A protocol will be signed between the Arab League and Syria to guarantee the freedom of movement of this committee," he said.
An Arab League official said the Arab foreign ministers were expected to approve sending the team at a ministerial meeting in Morocco.
With input from Reuters
