After weeks of stalling, Syria finally signs Arab protocol

After weeks of stalling, Syria signed a protocol on Monday to allow in monitors, part of an Arab peace plan that aims to end a nine-month crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.    

A Reuters witness saw Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad sign the protocol at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo and a League diplomat confirmed it had been inked.    

Syria has stalled for weeks over signing the protocol on monitors, although it had agreed to other parts of the plan. The League suspended Syria from the pan-Arab body and announced sanctions against Damascus.

Following the signature of the protocol, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem  held  a press conference on Monday.
 
Syria's foreign Minister said that the Arab League secretary general agreed on introducing amendments to the protocol, adding that these amendments guarantee Syria's  national sovereignty.

Muallem said "those keen on the Syrians' interests do not seek to impose economic sanctions against Syria and internationalize the issue."

"We are not responsible for the wasted time", he said, adding that "sanctions should be lifted but we will leave this decision to the Arab League."

"Signing the protocol is the beginning of cooperation with the Arab League; coordination with the mission will be carried out through a national committee," he added.

The foreign minister said that Russia advised Syria to ratify the plan; and " we followed  their advice."

Commenting on the visit of the Iraqi delegation to Syria, Muallem began with congratulating the Iraqis on the U.S. withdrawal, adding that "we salute the Iraqi stances put forth in Washington; but the visit of the Iraqi delegation was not part of the Arab protocol."

Reuters / LBCI