Arab League suspends Syrian participation
Bloc calls on member nations to withdraw ambassadors from Damascus over its crackdown on protesters.
The Arab League has suspended Syrian activities within the bloc until President Bashar al-Assad implements an Arab deal to end violence against anti-government protesters.
In a statement read in Cairo on Saturday by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem al-Thani, Qatari prime minister, the league said it will "suspend Syrian delegations' activities in Arab League meetings" and implement "economic and political sanctions against the Syrian government".
The Arab League also called on its member states to withdraw their ambassadors from Damascus and threatened to recognise the Syrian National Council if Syria does not refrain from the "continued killing" of civilians.
Al-Thani said that the suspension would take effect on November 16.
"We were criticized for taking a long time but this was out of our concern for Syria," he told reporters in Cairo. "We needed to have a majority to approve those decisions."
"We are calling all Syrian opposition parties to a meeting at the Arab League headquarters to agree a unified vision for the transitional period."
The decision, which came after a meeting of Arab ministers, does not amount to a full suspension of membership from the regional body.
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