Arab protocol signed on Russian advice — Syria

Beirut:  Syria signed up to an Arab peace deal aimed at ending nine months of unrest after Russia advised it to ratify the plan, Foreign Minister Walid Al Mua'alem said yesterday.

"They advised us to sign the protocol and we followed their advice," Al Mua'alem told a televised news conference.

Moscow, a long-time ally of Damascus, stepped up its criticism of President Bashar Al Assad's crackdown on protests in a draft resolution presented to the UN Security Council last week. The deal will allow Arab observers into the country as part of a peace deal that aims to end the nation's increasingly bloody nine-month-old crisis, Syria's foreign minister said.

Damascus had previously balked at signing the deal, and the regime's final acceptance of it was likely in response to mounting international pressure on it to end a bloody crackdown that the UN says has killed at least 5,000 people.

"The signing of the protocol is the beginning of cooperation between us and the Arab League and we will welcome the Arab League observers," Al Mua'alem told reporters in Damascus.

The agreement was signed at the Arab League's Cairo headquarters after the 22-member bloc accepted amendments demanded by Syria, Al Mua'alem said. An Arab League official in Cairo, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media, confirmed that Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, had signed the deal.

Many regime opponents have in the past accused Al Assad of waffling on the deal as a way to gain time as he continues his crackdown, and have expressed scepticism that the regime will cooperate even after signing the initiative.

Al Mua'alem, however, said Syria will deal with the mission with "all seriousness, professionalism and objectivity", adding he will be coordinating "on a daily basis" with Arab League Secretary-General Nabeel Al Arabi.

The Arab League plan calls for Syria to halt its crackdown, hold talks with the opposition and allow in Arab observers to ensure compliance with the deal. It does not call for foreign military intervention, as in Libya.

The 22-member League already has suspended Syria's membership and imposed sanctions, but it has been divided over whether to seek the help of the wider international community beyond the Arab world.

Asked whether Arab sanctions would be lifted, Al Mua'alem said: "The Arabs imposed these sanctions, and they should be lifted, but we will leave it up to them…"