Syria rejects Arab troops, UN urged to step in
sYRIA: Syria on Tuesday ruled out any deployment of Arab troops as
proposed by Qatar to halt 10 months of deadly unrest, as army defectors
urged the UN Security Council to intervene.
"Syria rejects the statements of officials of Qatar on sending Arab
troops to worsen the crisis... and pave the way for foreign
intervention," the foreign ministry said. "The Syrian people refuse any
foreign intervention in any name. They will oppose any attempt to
undermine the sovereignty of Syria and the integrity of its territory,"
it said in a statement.
"It would be regrettable for Arab blood to flow on Syria's territory
to serve known (interests)," the ministry added, without elaborating.
In an interview with US television aired at the weekend, Qatar's
emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, said he favoured sending Arab
troops to Syria to "stop the killing."
From its base in Turkey, the Syrian Free Army (SFA) called on the
22-member Arab League to "quickly transfer the case of Syria to the UN
Security Council," in a statement signed by its leader Riyadh al-Asaad,
a dissident colonel.
The United Nations has pledged to assist the Arab mission deployed in
Syria since last month. AFP
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