Arab League monitors face criticism and rejection in Syria

ARAB LEAGUE monitors overseeing implementation of the organisation’s plan to end violence in Syria faced rejection and impatience from opponents of the regime yesterday as well as criticism from external human rights bodies.

In the Bab Amr district of Homs, a stronghold of army defectors, activists refused to meet the monitors as long as they were accompanied by a Syrian army colonel. They returned later without their escort.

In nearby Hama, however, al-Jazeera broadcast video of demonstrators marching through the streets of restive quarters and chanting, “Where are the monitors?” They are due to visit Hama today.

While the authorities released 755 prisoners “without blood on their hands”, bringing the total freed since last month to 3,400, Human Rights Watch accused the government of concealing hundreds of prisoners by transferring them from detention centres to military facilities off limits to the monitors.

Human Rights Watch cited a Syrian security official in Homs who said he had received orders to shift 400-600 prisoners to a military missile plant in Zaidal outside Homs in violation of a commitment to free all prisoners. The transfer was, reportedly, made three days after Damascus signed the protocol governing the work of the league’s mission. The same official said the government had issued police identity papers and uniforms to military officers with the aim of getting round the league’s demand for withdrawal of troops from urban areas.

The UN estimates about 14,000 political prisoners are being held by the regime, a figure confirmed by Damascus-based dissident Louay Hussein.

On its second day of work, monitoring mission head Gen Mustafa Dabi observed: “There were some places where the situation was not good. But there wasn’t anything frightening, at least while we were there. Things were calm and there were no clashes.”

He also said that 20 monitors would remain in Homs “for a long time”. He was quoted by loyalist Dunia television as saying “we saw gunmen in the city of Homs”.

Opposition and human rights bodies criticise the choice of Gen Dabi whose own country, Sudan, has been accused of crimes against humanity in Darfur. However, mission members have been chosen from reputable human rights organisations and have stated their determination to carry out the mission faithfully. Some opposition figures challenge critics of the operation.

Human rights activist Haytham al-Manna, whose brother was slain in August, was quoted by the New York Timesas saying that some seek to "bury the Arab initiative before it's even applied".

He asked: “How can they punish these observers before the mission has lasted 24 hours?” Activists reported that six people had been killed in Hama and two in Homs and that four soldiers died and 12 were wounded in an ambush on a convoy mounted by defectors in the southern province of Deraa.

France, the US and Russia have called on Damascus to give the monitors full access to all areas.

- In Cairo, the trial of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resumed after a three-month recess and was promptly adjourned until January 2nd.

Mr Mubarak (83) was wheeled on a hospital gurney into the defendant’s wire cage in the courtroom. He is charged with ordering the crackdown that killed 846 protesters during the popular uprising in January and February and could face the death penalty.

His defence team asked the judge to include killings since he resigned in February as evidence that he was not responsible for deaths during his presidency.

Lawyers for the families of slain protesters called for army chief-of-staff Sami Anan to be summoned as a key witness.

He was originally scheduled to testify in September but his appearance was delayed by a motion filed against presiding judge Ahmed Refaat who was accused of bias in Mr Mubarak’s favour.

The motion was rejected. Prosecuting lawyers contend that he will never be convicted on a capital charge as the evidence against him is weak.