An Arab League ministerial committee on Saturday slapped 19 Syrian officials with a ban on travel to Arab states and gave Damascus until Sunday to accept observers to monitor the country's unrest. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani announced the deadline after a meeting in Doha to discuss a set of Arab League sanctions decided against Damascus over its bloody crackdown on months of anti-regime protests.
The meeting issued a list of 19 Syrian officials banned from travelling to Arab countries and whose assets are being frozen by those countries. "During the meeting we contacted Damascus... and we asked them to come tomorrow (to Doha) to sign" the protocol on sending observers to Damascus, the prime minister said. "We are waiting for a reply," he said. "As Arabs we fear that if the situation continues things will get out of Arab control."