Source: Arabs lean toward extension of Syria mission
None
Arab states are likely to extend the mandate of their monitors in Syria despite concerns over their inability to bring about an end to bloodshed during their first month there, an Arab diplomatic source said on Friday.
Factors favouring such a decision included the lack of international appetite for a Libya-style military intervention and an assessment that the observers were helping to curb at least some of the violence and encouraging peaceful protest. The 165-person mission expired on Thursday with no sign of a halt to President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on popular unrest. (Reuters)
