AL gives Syria 48 hours to sign observer mission protocol

The Arab League (AL) foreign ministers on Thursday gave Syrian government a 48-hour deadline to sign the protocol of the AL observers mission to the country. The AL said, at the conclusion of an extraordinary meeting on Thursday, if Syria rejected to sign the protocol, the Arab Economic and Social Council will convene on Saturday to discuss economic sanctions against Syria. The sanctions include halting Arab transactions with the Syrian Central Bank as well as trade exchange with the government. Assets of the government will also be frozen and flights to the country will be cancelled. The pan-Arab body decided to immediately send an Arab observers mission to the country in accordance with the protocol's terms when Syria signs it. The AL also called on Syrian government and the opposition to hold a national dialogue to stop violence and solve the Syrian crisis.