LAS monitors in Syria provoke criticism

The Syrian opposition has criticized monitors from the Arab League (LAS), RBC reports.

An opposition member, Osama Monayed, said that the government had not stopped violence even with the presence of international observers. 39 civilians were killed.

The monitors expressed satisfaction with the cooperation of the Syrian authorities. General Ahmed Mustafa ad-Dabi, head of the Sudanese group, described the situation in Homs as satisfactory.There were no clashes yesterday, no tanks, only a few armored vehicles, ad-Dabi said.

The general also noted that 20 members of the mission will remain for a long time in the cities of Hama, Damascus (the capital) and Idlib in the northern part of Syria.

The LAS became more active during the Arab Spring in the Middle East and Africa. It is the only organization that the Syrian authorities let in to observe the process. The world community has passed sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

Disorders in Syria have been ongoing since March 2011. The protesters demand Assad's resignation and reforms. The government and the opposition refuse to start negotiations. The LAS froze Syria's membership in the organization. Russia spoke out against interference in Syrian affairs so as to avoid a Libyan scenario. Russia also presented a resolution project to the UN Security Council on December 15 urging the sides to stop violence.