DAMASCUS, Syria - An Arab League peace plan for Syria appeared to be near collapse Tuesday as six Persian Gulf nations announced their intention to withdraw monitors from Syria and urged the U.N. Security Council to take "all needed measures" to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad to relinquish power.
The gulf monarchies, including regional giant Saudi Arabia, said in a statement that Assad's government had failed to comply with demands by the 22-member Arab League designed to curb the bloodshed in Syria. The six nations - which also include Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates - contribute about one-third of the league's 165 or so monitors in the country.
On Monday, Syria rejected as a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty a proposed Arab League political road map that called on Assad to transfer power to his deputy while a national unity government was formed within two months. Supervised parliamentary and presidential elections would follow, according to the proposal.
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Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem was defiant Tuesday in a news conference in Damascus, assailing the Arab League political plan and denouncing "a plot against Syria" abetted by Arab nations. Syria, a close ally of Iran, has repeatedly alleged that it is the victim of a "conspiracy" backed by Washington and other Western nations in alliance with Arab states.
Moallem was dismissive of any effort to take the question of Syria to the Security Council, saying the Arab League could take the issue "to New York or to the moon, as long as we don't have to pay (for) their ticket."
Syria is counting on two Security Council allies, Russia and China, to block any U.N. effort to pressure the Assad regime. Last year, Russia and China jointly vetoed a Security Council resolution that would have condemned Damascus' crackdown on protests.
