Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


    December 17, 2011

Arab League Holds Syria Crisis Talks

   VOA News
   Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa (L) speaks with Deputy
   Secretary General, Ahmed Ben Helli, during a meeting of the regional
   bloc (file photo).
   Photo: Reuters
   Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa (L) speaks with Deputy
   Secretary General, Ahmed Ben Helli, during a meeting of the regional
   bloc (file photo).

   The Arab League is due to meet in Qatar to discuss the deepening crisis
   in Syria, as an Iraqi delegation holds talks with Syrian officials in
   Damascus in an effort to bring the escalating violence to an end.
   The Arab League's Deputy Secretary General Ahmed Ben Helli expressed
   optimism Saturday that the meeting will produce a successful initiative
   on Syria. Foreign ministers from Egypt, Algeria, Sudan and Oman are
   gathering for an emergency meeting that was postponed indefinitely last
   week.
   Meanwhile, Iraq's National Security Adviser Falah al-Fayyad is leading
   the delegation in Syria that will discuss an Iraqi initiative to bring
   Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and opposition to leaders
   together for talks.
   The visit comes after Arab League officials met with the Iraqi leaders
   to encourage them to influence Assad to agree to a peace plan. Iraq has
   resisted Arab League calls for sanctions on Syria as the government's
   crackdown on a nine-month uprising turns more deadly.
   On Friday, protesters took to the streets in one their biggest
   demonstrations ever, with more than 200,000 rallying in the flashpoint
   Homs region. Activists say Syrian security forces killed at least 17
   people.
   The U.N. estimates that some 5,000 people have been killed since the
   uprising began in February. Syria's U.N. ambassador has rejected that
   figure as "incredible."
   There is some concern in Iraq that the instability in neighboring Syria
   will spill across the border and disrupt the country's own fragile
   security situation.
   Iraq becomes the latest country to help quell the violence in Syria.
   Damascus' longtime ally, Moscow, proposed a resolution to the U.N.
   Security Council this week that condemns both the Syrian government and
   the opposition for violence linked to anti-government protests.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
   Join the conversation on our social journalism site - [1]Middle East
   Voices. Follow our Middle East reports on [2]Twitter and discuss them
   on our [3]Facebook page.

References

   1. http://middleeastvoices.com/
   2. http://twitter.com/VOAMiddleEast
   3. http://www.facebook.com/pages/VOAMiddleEastVoices/124360240958667?%20%20%20%20v=wall

.