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Bashar Assad supporters wave a banner with his likeness in Damascus last week. Muzaffar Salman/AP

Arab League's own parliament calls on observers to leave Syria

The Arab Parliament, which advises the 22-nation bloc, says the presence of observers is distracting from the violence.

THE ARAB LEAGUE’S own parliament has called on the League to withdraw its observers from their high-profile mission to Syria – arguing that their presence is distracting from the Syrian government’s violence against protesters.

The 88-member Arab Parliament, which features four members from each of the League’s 22 members, effectively said it had lost confidence in the mission – which has failed to stop the violent crackdowns on anti-government demonstrations.

The delegation had arrived last month after what was seen as a major breakthrough in the attempts to end the brutal conflicts – and had been expected to gauge whether Syria was abiding by a plan aimed at finding peace.

CBC quotes a Kuwaiti member of the parliament – whose recommendations are non-binding – as saying the observers’ presence was now a distraction from the “flagrant violations” of the peace plan being undertaken by the government of president Bashar Assad.

The mission of the Arab League team has missed its aim of stopping the killing of children and ensuring the withdrawal of troops from the Syrian streets, giving the Syrian regime a cover to commit inhumane acts under the noses of the Arab League observers.

The chairman of the parliament, Ali al-Salem al-Debkas, said the presence of the observers was now contributing further to the anger of the public, and risked turning the protests even more violent.

A statement from al-Debkas quoted in the Daily Telegraph said the observers were “giving the Syrian regime an Arab cover for continuing its inhumane actions under the eyes and ears of the Arab League.”

The head of the delegation, General Mustafa al-Dabi, has attracted much criticism for being a perceived supporter of the Assad administration.

He has also been criticised for apparently contradicting the reports of his own staff, rubbishing first-hand reports of snipers attacking protesters.

Eight demonstrators were killed yesterday when security forces opened fire in a suburb of the capital, Damascus.

Syrian opposition groups unite against Assad

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3 Comments
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    Mute Optimus Prime
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 8:50 AM

    CV-19 is claiming a lot of people and talents. What an era in human history. Sad days ahead when we finally count our dead. :-(

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    Mute Gareth Miskelly
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 8:50 AM

    RIP. Hugely talented, Fountains of Wayne have some great songs and albums, welcome interstate managers is a cracker!

    131
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    Mute Owen Merne
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 9:21 AM

    We should all play Staceys Mom.. definitely a throwback tune, to honour the memory of the man.

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    Mute John Hazelnut
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 10:18 AM

    @Rochey77: Moderate your language, I, too thought Stacey’s Mom was a song.

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    Mute Damien
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 10:23 AM

    @Rochey77: The actress that played stacey’s mom was married to mini me from Austin powers.

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    Mute King B
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 11:23 AM

    @Damien: no she wasn’t, she was married to Rod Stewart and she’s still alive? Am I missing something or is this thread just full of inaccuracies?

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    Mute John Horan
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 11:42 AM

    @Damien: Stacys Mom…..https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Hunter

    Very much alive and kicking

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    Mute Damien
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 3:16 PM

    @King B: oops. Got that one mixed up

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    Mute King B
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 5:35 PM

    @Damien: no worries bud, either way I’m sure we can agree that Stacey’s mom most definitely had it going on.

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    Mute Peter Leonard
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 10:44 AM

    The elephant in the room when it comes to Covid19 deaths is he was a lifetime smoker, which is an underlying condition. RIP.

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    Mute Jazz Buckler
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 11:01 AM

    @Peter Leonard: being a smoker isn’t an “underlying condition” though is it?

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    Mute John Horan
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 11:40 AM
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    Mute Brian Mc Cabe
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 11:41 AM

    @Jazz Buckler: no, but buggered lungs from a lifetime of it is, or are you taking the smoking industry line on this?

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    Mute Peter Leonard
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 1:59 PM

    @Jazz Buckler: I’m sure the virus might not care if it’s a condition or not. Alcoholism is a disease, Smoking is also a disease.. whatever way it’s spun that it’s a human right or something like that. it’s a condition and a reason why so many young people are dead in Italy and Spain.

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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 9:53 AM

    I thought 2016 was bad for artists dying this is going to blow that out of the water.

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    Mute Aisling
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 10:22 AM

    Crazy ex girlfriend would not have been the same without this guy, such a talented music writer.

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    Mute Stan Kowalskis
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 9:36 AM

    One~der……..hanks is still high on meds.

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    Mute Y U no spell good?
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 9:53 AM

    @Stan Kowalskis: read the article, that was the name of a band in a movie they were both involved in. How’s your prescription?

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    Mute Brian Dunne
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 9:57 AM

    @Stan Kowalskis: watch the movie, its really good!

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    Mute Steven Hayes
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    Apr 2nd 2020, 12:22 PM

    Schlesinger wasn’t the singer he was the bass player/songwriter. Do your research!

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