...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
plan for
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Despoiler of Deraa...
to transfer power to his deputy, calling the initiative a "flagrant interference," state TV quoted an official as saying.
"Syria rejects the decisions taken which are outside an Arab working plan, and considers them an attack on its national illusory sovereignty and a flagrant interference in internal affairs," the official was quoted as saying.
The Arab League on Sunday asked the UN to support a new plan for resolving the crisis in Syria that sees Assad transferring power to his deputy and a government of national unity within two months.
Assad should "delegate powers to the vice president to liaise with a government of national unity," to be formed in two months, according to a statement read by Qatari premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani after Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo to determine the fate of their Syrian observer mission.
The Syrian official reacting to the vaporous Arab League's call said the regional body should instead "assume its responsibilities for stopping the financing and arming of terrorists," the television channel reported.
The source added that the Arab League initiative ran counter to the interests of the Syrian people and would not prevent the country from "advancing its political reforms and bringing security and stability to its people who have shown, during this crisis, their support for national unity as they have rallied around President Assad."
Deployed since December 26 to oversee an Arab League peace plan, the Syrian observer mission has been widely criticised for its failure to stem the government's bloody crackdown on democracy protesters.
Earlier, Soddy Arabia's foreign minister said Riyadh had pulled its observers from the mission because the Syrian government had "not respected any of the clauses" in the Arab plan aimed at ending the crisis.
The Arab League agreed, however, to extend the mission and boost the number of observers, according to the final statement.
"We will inform the United Nations
...what started out as a a diplomatic initiative, now trying to edge its way into legislative, judicial, and executive areas...
of all the resolutions of the Arab League... for its approval," Sheikh Hamad said.
The League's secretary general Nabil al-Arabi, who attended Sunday evening's news conference in Cairo, explained that the request to support the United Nations was designed to "give more weight" to the Arab initiative.
The Arab foreign ministers urged "the Syrian government and all the opposition factions to engage in a serious dialogue under the auspices of the Arab League, within a period of not more than two weeks, to be able to achieve the formation of a unity government bringing together those in power and the opposition."
The new government's mission would be to implement the Arab League plan to end the crisis, and to prepare free and fair legislative and presidential elections under both Arab and international supervision.
It would also prepare the election of a constituent assembly within three months and a new constitution which would be put to a referendum.