Arab League sends urgent letter to Syria over violence

A ministerial committee set up by the Arab League (AL) sent an urgent letter to the Syrian government on Friday to express its anger over the continued bloodshed in the country, said a statement issued by the pan-Arab body late Friday. The committee hoped the Syrian government could protect its civilians as the committee had urged it, said the statement. It also hoped the meeting to be held on Sunday between the committee and the Syrian government could achieve practical results, the statement added. On Wednesday, the AL ministerial committee, which included foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Oman, Algeria, Sudan and the AL chief Nabil al-Arabi, met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. The two sides discussed ways of ending the seven-month- long crisis through a dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani, who headed the ministerial committee, said the meeting with al-Assad was clear and friendly and they felt the Syrian government's keenness to work with the committee. At an emergency meeting held in Egypt's capital Cairo on Oct. 16, the AL decided to give Syria a 15-day deadline to enact a cease-fire and called for a national dialogue between the Syrian authorities and the opposition. More than 3,000 people, including army and security members, have been killed in the turmoil in Syria, according to figures released by the United Nations.