Syria face stiff sanctions ordered by the Arab League after President Bashar al-Assad refused to allow observers into the country to monitor the violence that claimed dozens more lives over the weekend. Arab Foreign Ministers who met in Cairo on Sunday agreed a package of measures designed to force Assad to end his security crackdown, free prisoners and launch reforms to end the eight-month rebellion.
But there are any signs of flexibility from the Damascus regime, challenging the opposition sources that describe the columns of tanks were preparing to advance Syria in Homs, Center of recent fighting.
The League decision stops the transaction with the central bank of Syria, freezing Syria's assets in other Arab countries and Arab investment in Syria. Also impose travel ban on senior officials of Syria. Earlier, the Minister of finance and economy of Arab stressed the need to avoid any steps that would harm ordinary citizens. Delivery of basic commodities and cash money from Syria who worked in other countries would be freed.
The landmark agreement announcement came from Qatar's Prime Minister, Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al Thani, who chaired the Cairo meeting. Bin Jassem said the decision, which will soon be in force, supported by 19 members of the League's 22.
Qatar's leader has warned earlier that the Arab failure to agree could lead to intervention by the West Libya-style. "All the work we do is to avoid this," he said, adding that if the international community does not see that Arabs are a "serious" he cannot guarantee that such action could be avoided.