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Arab League Syria visit delayed, ICRC seeks access

Dunya News

Pro-democracy demonstrations have gathered force in suburbs and rural areas across Syria.

A planned Arab League visit to Syria on Wednesday to convey concerns over a crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assads rule has been delayed, an Arab diplomat said, in a sign of Syrian unease at a toughening of the Arab position.Pro-democracy demonstrations have gathered force in suburbs and rural areas across the country of 20 million despite daily reports of killings of civilians and heavy security in city centres.Activists said 20 people had been killed on Monday and Tuesday and the United Nations estimates more than 2,200 people have been killed since unrest began in March.Syria, which faces new sanctions from the European Union and wider Western pressure for Assad to go, had criticized the Arab Leagues decision late last month to urge an end to attacks on protesters and political and economic reforms.An Arab diplomat at the Cairo-based League, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters late on Tuesday the visit by Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby had been delayed but not canceled. It will take place when conditions permit, he added without elaborating.Egypts state news agency MENA said the delay followed a request from Syria, which gave no explanation and did not fix a new date for the trip.The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday it was seeking access to thousands of demonstrators believed to be in informal lockups, a day after announcing Syria had opened its prisons for the first time.ICRC chief Jakob Kellenberger said ICRC staff were making further visits to Damascus central prison, which has 6,000 inmates, both criminal and political.We have enough information to know that there are (other) places we have to see as early as possible, Kellenberger told a news conference on his return from Syria where he held talks with Assad.Prison visits were an ambitious and delicate exercise for any country, Kellenberger said, noting that neither Egypt nor Bahrain had granted them despite repeated ICRC requests.The Syrian authorities are well aware, including President Assad, that for the ICRC this is a first step. And they are well aware of the fact that we want to go further and beyond, Kellenberger said, declining to be more specific.