Dubai: Both the Syrian government and the opposition Monday rejected the Arab League proposal for a dialogue, but on different grounds.
While Damascus said any discussion with the opposition should take place in Syria, the opposition felt the League's 15-day ultimatum was ‘just a licence to kill more people".
Syria also said that it will continue the reforms under the leadership of Bashar Al Assad and that it can solve its problems internally.
More time to kill
However, Dr Basma Kadmani, spokeswoman for the Syrian National Council (SNC), the main opposition group in exile, told Gulf News the League did not consult them about the proposal and the 15-day ultimatum will give the regime time to kill more people.
"Syrians have been killed every day for seven months. The League should have sent a strong message to the regime by suspending its membership. It should have dealt with the Al Assad regime the same way as with Libya. Syrian civilians should not have been left alone to face the regime's military machine," she said.
Reports said 14 people were killed on Sunday.
Tweeting from hiding
Another opposition figure, Suhair Al Atassi, who went into hiding after her release from prison during the first month of the uprising, tweeted: "We said it from the day the first martyr fell: No dialogue with the killers. The killers will be put on trial by the free Syrian people."
The League meeting in Cairo decided to form a four-member ministerial committee comprising Algeria, Sudan, Oman and headed by Qatar to visit Syria and to launch negotiations in Cairo between the opposition and the government.
In a communique sent to Gulf News, the SNC urged the League's member states to suspend Syria's membership in the organisation, protect civilians and recognise the council as the legitimate representative of the people till the fall of the regime, which it said will come soon at the hands of the people and with the support of Arabs and the international community.
