Syria Suspended From Arab League

The Arab League has voted to suspend Syria from its meetings over its failure to end a government crackdown on protesters. It has also decided to impose sanctions against Damascus.

At an emergency meeting in Cairo on 12^th November the League also asked member states to withdraw their ambassadors, and urged Damascus to end violence against protesters.

The Arab League Ministers took the decisions after considering Syria's failure to implement peace plan agreed with the League last week.

Eighteen Arab League member states voted at the Cairo meeting to suspend Syria, with Syria, Lebanon and Yemen voting against and Iraq abstaining.

The vote came after Syria ignored an Arab League proposal envisaging the start of dialogue with the opposition.

But Syria's representative Youssef Ahmed told Syrian state TV that the decision violated the league's charter.

Syrian President Assad has sought to put down the protests since March.

The UN says more than 3,500 people have died in the protests so far.

Syrian forces have been accused by Human Rights Watch of killing over a hundred anti-Government protestors since the deal was announced.