Turkey FM concerned over attacks on Arab observers

Attacks on Arab observers in Syria are raising doubts about the sustainability of the Arab League mission there, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. "The Arab League observers could not perform their duties as desired. They met many obstacles," Davutoglu said at a press conference in Ankara Tuesday with his Tunisian counterpart Rafik Abdessalem. "The attack in Latakia raised doubts about the sustainibility of the mission," he added. Davutoglu was referring to an incident in which two Kuwaiti members of the Arab League team were injured in an attack on Monday by what the Gulf state said were unidentified protesters. "We will go on supporting this mission of the Arab League," the Turkish minister said, but added: "It is unacceptable that the bloodshed continues while the mission is still there." The Arab League monitors have been in Syria since December 26 to oversee a deal to protect civilians in the country, where the regime has waged a bloody crackdown on opposition protesters since mid-March. The death toll in Syria, which the United Nations says exceeds 5,000, has kept on climbing despite the presence of the observers.