Emir of Qatar favors Arab troops in Syria

The emir of Qatar has said he is in favor of sending Arab troops to Syria to "stop the killing" that has claimed more than 5,000 lives over the course of a 10-month revolt there. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani's interview with CBS news program "60 Minutes," which airs Sunday, is the first public call by an Arab leader for Arab troops to deploy to Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad's regime has mounted a brutal crackdown. When asked whether he favors Arab nations intervening in Syria, the emir said: "For such a situation to stop the killing... some troops should go to stop the killing." The interview with the Qatari leader, excerpts of which were sent to AFP by CBS ahead of the broadcast, comes amid increasing concern that a team of Arab observers to Syria to monitor conditions on the ground was failing, and as Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi warned that the mission could be suspended. The influential emir once had cordial relations with Damascus, but in recent months has become one of the most vocal critics of the Assad regime in the Arab world as the Syrian strongman failed to curb the bloodshed. In August, Sheikh Hamad described the Syrian regime's heavy-handed use of force against protesters as "fruitless," and urged serious reforms. The wealthy Gulf state then withdrew its ambassador from Damascus. Doha-based Al-Jazeera television has come under strong criticism by the Syrian authorities for its coverage of the popular uprising.