Syria: Arab League Monitors 'Allowed To Stay'

Syria has reportedly agreed to allow monitors from the Arab League to stay for another month - but the mission has been hampered by the withdrawal of the Gulf states.
The six Gulf Arab states joined Saudi Arabia in pulling out from the observer mission because they believe it is not working.
The move by the Gulf Co-ooperation Council (GCC) illustrates the deep divisions within the Arab Leage.
It also further damages the credibility of the mission, whose presence has not halted more than 10 months of violence.
A GCC statement said it was "certain the bloodshed and killing of innocents would continue, and that the Syrian regime would not abide by the Arab League's resolutions".
The decision came as the league formally requested a meeting with UN chief Ban Ki-moon to ask for the Security Council's support.
The request ratchets up the pressure on the UN Security Council to overcome its divisions and take a stand on the unrest in Syria.
At the weekend, the Arab League called on President Bashar al Assad to step down in order to stop the bloodshed.
That prompted foreign minister Walid Muallem to launch a stinging attack on the league, accusing the regional body of "plotting" an international response.
Mr Muallen said it was clear that some Arab countries had joined the conspiracy, but Russia would "never" accept foreign interference in Syria's affairs.
"It is the duty of the Syrian government to take the necessary measures to address the problem of those armed elements who are wreaking havoc throughout Syria," Mr Muallem said, signalling the bloody crackdown will continue.
But since then, Mr Muallem has sent a letter to the Arab League secretary-general telling him the monitors can stay until February 23, according to the official Sana news agency.
Former head of the Arab League Amr Moussa told Sky News during a special programme on the Arab Spring that change in Syria and other countries now appeared inevitable. 
"It is a matter of time that the change will take place in several societies, peoples, states because the change is the hope of all citizens," he said.
"We cannot continue and you should not live under dictatorial regimes or the rule of oppression and telling people what to do and how to feel."
The observer mission was deployed to assess Syria's compliance with an earlier Arab League plan.
The plan calls for a unity government within two months, which would then prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections to be held under Arab and international supervision.
The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed since the unrest erupted in March, while Damascus claims "terrorists" have killed more than 2,000 soldiers and police.
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