Iraq

Iraq slams Arab League over Syria

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Iraq says a decision by the Arab League (AL) to hand the Syrian government’s seat to the foreign-backed opposition is the infringement of the organization’s charter.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in an interview that granting Syria’s seat to the so-called Syrian National Coalition (SNC) is the violation of the AL convention, the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

“The name of the League is the Arab League…representatives of the member states are the elected governments which have legitimacy, express and represent their people,” Zebari stated.

He added that the measure would only complicate the situation in Syria and intensify the violence in the Arab country.

On Tuesday, the Arab League issued a resolution at the summit in the Qatari capital, Doha, giving member states the right to offer the militants fighting against the Syrian government all means of what it called self-defense, including weapons.

Syria’s foreign-backed opposition was also formally handed Syria’s seat at the summit.

Speaking at the meeting, the head of the SNC, Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib, called on the United Nations to follow suit and give Syria’s seat to the opposition.

Even before the seat was given to the SNC, the Syrian media outlets condemned the anticipated move harshly. They criticized the opposition takeover of Damascus’ seat at the Arab League, calling it a legal and a moral crime.

“The league has handed Syria’s stolen seat to bandits and thugs,” Syrian government daily al-Thawra wrote.

In November 2011, the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership, though Damascus is a founding member of the organization.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Syrian army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

Damascus says the West and its regional allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are supporting the militants.

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