Syria Rejects Arab Troop Deployment
Syria's government on Tuesday rejected the possibility of the Arab League deploying troops in the unrest-swept country as suggested by the emir of Qatar and said its people would confront such action.
"Syria rejects the statements of officials of Qatar on sending Arab troops to worsen the crisis... and pave the way for foreign intervention," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"The Syrian people refuse any foreign intervention in any name. They will oppose any attempt to undermine the sovereignty of Syria and the integrity of its territory," it said.
"It would be regrettable for Arab blood to flow on Syria's territory to serve known (interests)," the ministry added, without elaborating.
The statement appealed to the Arab League to stop what it called "the mobilization campaign in the media".
It also urged the Cairo-based organization to "help prevent the infiltration of terrorists and entry of weapons" into Syrian territory.
The 22-member Arab bloc sent dozens of observers to Syria on December 26 to monitor the government's implementation of a deal aimed at ending violence the U.N. says has killed more than 5,000 people since mid-March.
In an interview with U.S. television aired at the weekend, Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said he favored sending Arab troops to Syria to "stop the killing" that has claimed more than 5,000 lives since March.
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi has said a ministerial meeting of the bloc next Sunday could discuss such a proposal.
However, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki said in an interview that he opposed foreign military intervention in Syria, saying it would spark an "explosion" across the entire Middle East.
Source: Naharnet
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