SAC asks Arab League to suspend Syria

CHICAGO, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The Syrian American Council is calling on the Arab League to suspend Syria's membership and raise pressure on the Syrian president to leave office.

The action comes after a poll by the Arab American Institute showed overwhelming support in the Arab world for the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al Assad, the Syrian American Council said in a release Thursday.

The poll, which surveyed Arabs in Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, also shows between 85 percent and 95 percent of those polled believe Assad can no longer govern the country.

The Arab League met last week in Cairo but did not to suspend Syria's membership, instead saying it would schedule meetings between the Syrian government and the opposition within 15 days.

"The world is waiting for the Arab League to take action. The delegation that is meeting with Assad must actively pressure the Syrian dictator to end his ruthless crackdown on protestors immediately," said SAC President Dr. Talal Sunbulli. "While the international community deliberates, thousands of Syrians continue to suffer every day at the hands of the regime. We hope that the Arab public's consensus will soon translate into stronger international efforts to expel both Assad and his regime."