Syria agrees to Arab League plan to end violence

There has been a cautious reaction to Syria’s acceptance of an Arab League plan to end seven months of violence. The US has expressed reservations about whether Damascus will live up to the deal and opposition protesters say it doesn’t include President Bashar al-Assad leaving.

But Arab League representatives in Cairo were positive, only calling for the agreement to be implemented immediately.

Qatari prime minister and current head of the Arab League, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim, said:

“The Syrian government has agreed to the following: an end to all acts of violence, from whichever source, for the protection of Syrian citizens. Secondly, releasing the prisoners of the current unrest, thirdly, removing the armed forces from all cities and residential areas.”

But activists say they will wait to see if the fine words translate to the streets – an unverified amateur video filmed in Homs as the deal was announced showed more violence. One activist reported that two people were killed on Thursday morning by tank shelling in the city.

It’s claimed by activists in Syria that 20 people have been killed in the past 24 hours.

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