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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

League calls on Assad to cede power

Ministers step up pressure on Syrian leader

Amro Hassan And Alexandra Zavis Los Angeles Times

DAMASCUS, Syria – With no end to the bloodshed in Syria, the Arab League on Sunday called for President Bashar Assad to hand over power to his top deputy and sought the formation of a unity government to prepare for early elections.

The league’s demands seem certain to anger the Syrian government, which blames months of unrest on “foreign conspiracies” and has repeatedly rejected what it regards as attacks on its sovereignty.

League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said the 22-member regional bloc would seek endorsement from the United Nations Security Council for its plan but did not say what it would do if Syria does not comply.

The political roadmap outlined by Arab foreign ministers at a meeting in Cairo is similar to a plan that saw Yemen’s longtime ruler hand much of his authority to his vice president ahead of presidential elections in February, in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

The league wants a national dialogue to begin in Syria within two weeks and a transitional government to be formed within two months to oversee preparations for general elections. It also wants the new government to form independent panels to investigate abuses and draft a new constitution.

Assad has expressed a willingness to form a more inclusive government, make changes to the constitution and hold elections on his terms. At the same time, he has pledged to respond with an iron fist against opponents he labels as terrorists and has refused to step down.

The league’s proposals, approved by all members except Algeria and Lebanon, came out of a meeting to review the findings of a one-month observer mission in Syria. About 165 monitors were deployed to verify whether the government is fulfilling its pledge to end a violent crackdown against a 10-month uprising.

Arab foreign ministers agreed to continue the mission, which can be extended for another month with the consent of Assad’s government. But they want to increase the number of observers and provide them additional support.