The Sudanese head of the Arab League observer mission to Syria has resigned, hours before foreign ministers began to consider a proposal to send a new mission to the country, including UN monitors.
The group meeting in Cairo yesterday was also considering a proposal to expel Syrian ambassadors from Arab capitals.
At the same time, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahri threw the terror network's support behind Syrian rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad, raising fears that Islamic extremists are exploiting the uprising that began peacefully but is quickly transforming into an armed insurgency.
The regime has long blamed terrorists for the revolt, and al-Qaeda's endorsement creates new difficulties for Western and Arab states trying to figure out a way to help force Dr Assad out of power.
The Arab League has been at the forefront of regional efforts to end 11 months of bloodshed in Syria. The group put forward a plan that Dr Assad agreed to in December, then sent in monitors to check whether the Syrian regime was complying. But when it became clear that Dr Assad's regime was flouting the terms of the agreement and killings went on, the league pulled the observers out last month.
League officials said the group would call on Syrian opposition groups to close ranks and unite under one umbrella, a move they said would place more pressure on the Assad regime. The league was considering whether to revive the observer mission, expanding it to include monitors from non-Arab, Muslim nations and the United Nations. However, the Syrians would be unlikely to accept a new team.
Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby told the Arab foreign ministers, ''The time has come for a decisive action to stop the bloodshed suffered by the Syrian people since the start of last year.
Arab League officials said Mr Elaraby had accepted the resignation of General Mohammed Ahmed Al-Dabi, the head of the Syrian observer mission, and nominated former Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul-Illah al-Khatib as the new envoy. There was no word on the reasons behind Mr Al-Dabi's resignation, but the Sudanese general was harshly criticised for his management of the monitors' mission, which was perceived by the Syrian opposition and many protesters to have provided a cover for the regime's continued crackdown.
''The new mission must be totally different from the previous one,'' Mr Elaraby said. ''The previous experience has shown that there can be no restoration of security without a political vision.'' AP
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