Brussels, 03/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 3 November, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton welcomed the efforts of the Arab League to end violence and “bring about the reforms that the Syrian people have bravely demanded these last seven months”. “It is now vital”, she said, “that the commitments made by the Syrian authorities to the Arab League are followed through fully and rapidly, under Arab scrutiny”. The EU foreign policy chief pointed out that the initiative in question can only succeed if the Syrian authorities provide the “space and security for opposition groups to work with all sectors of the Syrian population for a peaceful political transition”.
On Sunday, the Arab League proposed a plan for exiting the crisis, endorsed on Wednesday 2 November by Damascus, providing for a total cessation of violence to protect civilians, the release of those imprisoned for political action, evacuation of the zones at the risk of armed conflict, and freedom for the international media and organisations of the Arab League to move about the country. It also stipulates that, once the Syrian government has worked on these conditions, the ministerial Arab committee will hold consultation with the government and the various Syrian opposition parties with a view to opening national dialogue. Since the beginning of the conflict, in March this year, over 3,000 people have been killed, the UN states. (CG/transl.jl)