'Farce': Another monitor pledges to quit Syria

CAIRO ?? An Arab observer delegation in Syria was running into further difficulties on Thursday, with two members either quitting or threatening to do so within 24 hours because their mission is proving ineffectual in ending the suffering of civilians.

An observer who declined to give his name told Reuters late on Wednesday that he was ready to walk out, exposing rifts in an Arab peace effort a day after Anwar Malek, an Algerian observer, told Al Jazeera TV he had quit Syria because the peace mission was a "farce."

Both Malek and the unnamed monitor, clearly appalled by what they had seen, spoke of continued violence, killings and torture, saying the bloodshed had not abated as a result of the presence of the Arab League mission. Both described Syrians' suffering as "unimaginable."

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"There is oppression. There is strong oppression and there is suffering, a lot of suffering, more than you imagine," the unnamed monitor told Reuters, describing one part of the central city of Homs he had visited.

While the monitor, speaking by telephone from Syria, asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media, his comments echoed Malek's earlier ones.

"Observers have been fooled. The regime orchestrated (the visits), fabricated most of what we saw, to stop the Arab League taking action," Malek told Al Jazeera. "What I saw was a humanitarian disaster. The regime isn't just committing one war crime but a series of war crimes against it's people."

Malek's departure was a blow to the mission, already criticized by Syria's opposition as a toothless body that only served to buy President Bashar Assad time.

The Arab League monitoring mission began work on December 26. Its task is to verify if Syria is complying with an agreement to halt a crackdown on 10 months of protests against Assad in which the United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed.

Arms-laden ship
Meanwhile, a Russian ship carrying tons of arms to Syria was stopped in Cyprus but allowed to continue its journey after changing its destination.? The ship was technically violating an European Union embargo on such shipments, Cypriot officials told The Associated Press.

The cargo ship, owned by St. Petersburg-based Westberg Ltd., left the Russian port on Dec. 9 for Turkey and Syria, which is 65 miles east of Cyprus, the officials told The Associated Press.

Russia and Turkey are not members of the EU, so such a route would not have violated the embargo imposed to protest Syria's crackdown on the uprising against Assad's rule.

The AP reported that Turkish officials couldn't confirm that the Chariot was heading to Turkey, and the vessel could still make a dash for the Syrian ports of Latakia or Tartus which Russian warships use as a resupply stop.

Video: French journalist killed in Syria (on this page)

Turkey had previously cultivated close ties with Syria, but is now one of the Assad regime's most vociferous critics. Turkey has imposed trade sanctions on Syria and is allowing its opposition groups to meet on its territory. Some 7,000 Syrians have taken refuge in Turkey.

Turkish authorities intercepted an arms shipment from Iran to Syria in August and seized the cargo of a Syria-bound Iranian plane in March, because it breached U.N. sanctions.??

Arab monitors hampered
The Arab observer delegation's work has already been hampered by an attack on monitors in the western port of Latakia this week that lightly wounded 11 and prompted the League to delay sending new observers to Syria to join about 165 already there.

Asked if he agreed with Malek's characterization of the mission as a failure, the anonymous monitor said: "It is true, it is true. Even I am trying to leave on Friday. I'm going to Cairo or elsewhere... because the mission is unclear.... It does not serve the citizens. It does not serve anything."

"The Syrian authorities have exploited the weakness in the performance of the delegation to not respond. There is no real response on the ground."

"The military gear is still present even in the mosques. We asked that military equipment be withdrawn from the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq mosque in Deraa and until today they have not withdrawn."

Assad mocked the Arab League in a speech in which he said that it had failed for six decades to promised to take a position in Arab interests. He said he would strike down a revolt he slammed as foreign plot.

Video: Syrian president vows to use 'iron fist' (on this page)

The choice of a Sudanese general to head the mission had already alarmed opposition activists who say Sudan's own defiance of a war crimes tribunal means the monitors probably will not recommend strong action against Assad.

The unnamed monitor told Reuters the Syrian authorities had shown little genuine willingness to comply with the plan while the observers lacked the expertise to do their mission justice.?

"This is a very big problem and it is related firstly to the general will of the Syrian authorities to cooperate with the delegation in a genuine manner and without maneuvering," he said.

"Secondly, it is related to the expertise of the delegation... It needs experts in the fields of monitoring, of diplomacy, of international law."

The Associated Press, Reuters contributed to this report and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45968527/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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