Syria deadline extended to Sunday

The Arab League has given Syria until Sunday to respond to its proposal to send observers to the country as part of a plan to end the political violence there.

Qatar's prime minister warned at an Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Doha Saturday that failure to reach an agreement may lead to U.N. involvement in the Syrian crisis.

The 22-member organization agreed Saturday on the details of economic and diplomatic sanctions against the Syrian regime. They include a list of 19 Syrian officials subject to a travel ban.

The punitive action is meant to pressure the Syrian regime to stop its crackdown on an 8-month-old uprising in which more than 4,000 people have been killed.

Syria has failed to meet several Arab League deadlines on the bloc's peace proposal.

Herewith a list of 19 Syrian officials banned from travel to Arab countries and whose assets are to be frozen by Arab League states, as part of sanctions for Syria's deadly crackdown on dissent:

- General Maher al-Assad, the powerful brother of President Bashar al-Assad who commands Syria's feared Fourth Armoured Division.
- Rami Makhluf, a billionaire businessman who is also the president's cousin.
- General Asef Shawqat, an army deputy chief of staff and the president's brother-in-law.
- Defence Minister General Daood Rajha.
- Interior Minister General Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar.
- Abdul Fatah Qudsiyeh, head of Syrian military intelligence.
- General Rustum Ghazaleh, director of military intelligence on the outskirts of Damascus.
- Ayman Jaber, member of the central committee of the ruling Baath party.
- Mohammed Jaber, a security official.
- General Jamil al-Hassan, head of air force intelligence directorate.
- General Jameh Jameh, head of the military intelligence directorate in the eastern oil hub of Deir Ezzor.
- Colonel Hafez Makhluf, the president's cousin and head of the general security directorate.
- Atef Najib former head of the political security directorate in Daraa province, cradle of the protest movement.
- Faisal Kulthum former governor of Daraa.
- Munzer al-Assad, a businessman and the president's cousin.
- Fawaz Jamil al-Assad, also the president's cousin and a security official.
- Ali Mamluk, head of Syria's general intelligence directorate.
- Dhu al-Himma Shalish, another cousin of the president who is the head of presidential security.
- Mohammed Dib Zeytun, head of the political security directorate

An earlier list by the Arab League last week did not include Ali Mamluk and Mohammad Dib Zeytun.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.