League demands Assad resign, unity gov't

CAIRO, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The Arab League demanded Syrian President Bashar Assad resign and form a unity government with the opposition, as Saudi Arabia quit the observer mission.

The unprecedented decision by the 22-member league to decide how an Arab nation should constitute its government came as Saudi Arabia said it would quit because of what it saw as the Assad regime's overall bad faith and its specific failure to abide by the league resolution plan that cleared the path for the mission three months ago.

"My country will withdraw its monitors because the Syrian government did not execute any of the elements of the Arab resolution plan," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said after the league agreed to extend the observer mission another month, double its size to about 300 monitors, cover additional Syrian hot spots and improve observer training and qualifications.

"It is not a quality of Arab leaders to kill their people," Faisal said, accusing the Assad regime of using the mission to "hide its crimes."

He implored league members to enforce economic sanctions the league adopted against Syria in November but which few members have undertaken.

He also called on the international community to "bear its responsibility," including "our friends in Russia, China, Europe and the United States" as well as "our brothers in Islamic states."

That responsibility includes applying "all possible pressure" to compel Syria to comply with the Arab peace plan.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani repeated warnings the league could send in peacekeeping troops if the unrest escalates.

The league's unity-government plan calls on Assad to delegate powers to Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa, a former foreign minister who has led the regime's National Dialogue Committee, following the formation of a national unity government.

The unity government without Assad must be formed within two months, the league said, and prepare to elect a council within three months that will write a new constitution. It should also prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections.

The Arab League will take its plan to the U.N. Security Council seeking endorsement in a bid to build international support. The initiative does not back military intervention in Syria.

The Assad regime had no immediate response.

The United Nations last month estimated more than 5,000 deaths since mid-March. Opposition groups estimate more than 6,000 people have died.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in London said six people were killed Sunday, three civilians and three military members. The Local Coordination Committees said 59 people were killed Saturday.

Death tolls cannot be independently confirmed due to restrictions imposed on journalists by the Syrian government.

Activists blame the violence on Assad regime forces, while the government says terrorists are responsible for the bloodshed.