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AL urges to halt bloodshed in Syria

Xinhua, September 14, 2011

• The Arab League foreign ministers urged on Tuesday Syria to stop bloodshed and agreed to send a fact- finding committee to the unrest-hit country, Egypt's state TV reported.

  "We are keen to protect the unity of Syria, prevent foreign interference, stop the bloodshed and violent acts in addition to the army withdrawal from all the Syrian cities soon," said Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani, who presided a Arab League meeting on Syrian situation.

  "I wish from the bottom of my heart a dialogue will be established to achieve the ambitions of the Syrian people," he added.

  The AL council at the foreign ministerial level said the situation in Syria is still very serious and there should be an immediate change to halt the bloodshed.

  A statement issued after the meeting urged the Syrian leadership to take urgent procedures to implement measures agreed upon during AL Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi's recent visit to Syria.

  It is necessary to make a comprehensive national dialogue that guarantees effective participation of all Syrian opposition parties for making change, political reforms aspired by the Syrian people, the statement added.

  The AL council decided to send a high-profile delegation of the AL secretariat as a fact-finding committee to Syria after violence stops.

  Upon his recent return from Syria, al-Arabi said in Cairo that he has agreed with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on a number of "practical steps to step up the process of reforms in Syria."

  Concerning the Palestinian cause, al-Arabi said the UN General Assembly can announce the statehood of Palestine and that accordingly the dispute with Israel will change from debate over existence to debate over borders and this is very important, because the disputed territories will be of an occupied state that is represented in the UN.

  Arabi said the AL, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will coordinate their efforts on Yemen. But he added that the Yemeni government has not asked for help from the AL.

  In a statement, the AL council praised the Bahrain's parliamentary elections scheduled for September which will help promote reforms. The AL also reiterated its support for stability and security in Bahrain.

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