Syria’s continuing slaughter pushes the U.S. to act | SAMOTALIS

Syria’s continuing slaughter pushes the U.S. to act | SAMOTALIS
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Syria’s continuing slaughter pushes the U.S. to act
Editorial Board Opinion
Washington Post
Syria's continuing slaughter pushes the U.S. to act

THE ARAB LEAGUE has become the latest international actor to be humiliated by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. On Nov. 2 the organization of 22 states announced that it had obtained Mr. Assad's commitment to a series of steps to end the violence in his country, including withdrawing tanks and troops from cities, releasing political prisoners, admitting Arab observers and foreign journalists, and opening a dialogue with the opposition. As we, among others,predicted, none of this has happened.

In fact Mr. Assad has once again escalated attacks on the civilian population. On Thursday, 30 people were reported killed across the country, including an infant and five other children. On Friday. 20 more people died, according to news reports. Human Rights Watchreported Friday that since the Arab League deal, at least 104 people had been killed in the city of Homs alone, including a dozen who were tortured to death. No tanks or troops have been withdrawn; no journalists have been admitted to Syria; no prisoners have been released.


At an emergency meeting Saturday in Cairo, the Arab League will consider its response. Human rights groups and Western governments are pushing it to take steps, such as suspending Syria's membership or referring Damascus to the United Nations Security Council for sanctions. But even such modest steps will be opposed by countries such as Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan and Algeria. It's hard to bet against the league's well-earned reputation for fecklessness.
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