Arab League set to vote on Syria sanctions

BEIRUT?? The Arab League is set to vote Sunday on sweeping sanctions against Syria, which could include halting cooperation with the nation's central bank and stopping flights to the country.

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The 22-nation body will vote on the recommendations at the group's headquarters in Cairo.

If the Arab League were to go ahead with the move, it would be a huge blow for a regime that considers itself a powerhouse of Arab nationalism.

Syria is facing mounting international pressure to end the bloody crackdown on the uprising against President Bashar Assad, which the U.N. says has killed more than 3,500 people. The European Union and the United States have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Assad and his regime, including a ban on the import of Syrian oil.

Story: UN: 'Numerous' reports of child torture by Syria's security forces

Reuters reported that Arab League's plan would cut commercial ties with Assad's government and freeze its assets.

It would also include a travel ban on senior Syrian officials and a halt to commercial flights to the country, according to an Arab League document seen by Reuters.

Hundreds of people ? civilians, soldiers and army deserters ? have been reported killed in Syria this month, possibly the bloodiest since the unrest broke out in March inspired by uprisings which overthrew leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Activists said 42 civilians and soldiers died in Syria on Saturday.

Video: Inside Syria: Underground network of cyber activists keeps revolution alive (on this page)

Damascus, where the Assad family has ruled for 41 years, says regional powers helped incite the violence, which it blames on armed groups targeting civilians and its security forces. Syria has barred most independent media, making it hard to verify accounts from activists or officials.

Syria's powerful non-Arab northern neighbor Turkey, a former ally, has now turned against Assad.

"It is important that the international community move to resolve this problem and deliver a powerful message to the Syrian government," said Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan.

Video: Start of a civil war in Syria? (on this page)

Babacan said the sanctions must not affect the daily life of Syria's people or threaten basic needs such as access to water.

'Humanitarian corridors'?
The stepped-up pressure follows a French proposal for "humanitarian corridors" to be set up through which food and medicine could be shipped to alleviate civilian suffering.

The proposal could link Syrian civilian centres to the frontiers of Turkey and Lebanon, to the Mediterranean coast or to an airport, and enable supply of humanitarian supplies or medicines to people in need.

But United Nations humanitarian coordinator Valerie Amos suggested that setting up humanitarian corridors into Syria or buffer zones on the border could be premature.

"At present, the humanitarian needs identified in Syria do not warrant the implementation of either of those mechanisms."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45451537/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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