Arabs to discuss joint UN-Arab mission to Syria

Arab foreign ministers will discuss a proposal next week to send a joint UN-Arab mission to Syria, a senior Arab League official said on Thursday, after a solely Arab team failed to end President Bashar Assad's crackdown on protests.

Ministers meet in Cairo on Sunday to consider whether to extend or scrap an observer mission sent to Syria in December. The mission, criticized by Syria's opposition, faced internal dissent and retreated to hotels for safety as violence surged. (Reuters)