Arab League suspends Syria

CAIRO, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- The Arab League voted Saturday to suspend Syria because of its brutal treatment of protesters and its failure to implement the league's peace plan.

The suspension takes effect Wednesday, Kuwaiti news agency Kuna reported.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr bin Muhammad Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, said the league is not calling for the kind of military intervention that helped topple Moammar Gadhafi in Libya. But the league's members are being encouraged to withdraw ambassadors from Damascus as an additional signal to President Bashar al-Assad that his actions are unacceptable.

"Syria is a dear country for all of us and it pains us to make this decision," he said. "We hope there will be a brave move from Syria to stop the violence and begin a real dialogue toward real reform."

Eighteen of the 22 states in the league supported the suspension.

The Arab League's proposals, which were accepted by Assad's government, included the release of prisoners, the withdrawal of forces from streets, and talks between the government and the opposition.

Human Rights Watch issued a report Friday documenting accusations of torture and unlawful killings in Homs, which had seen the most violence at the hands of government forces.

Assad had tried to quell protests since March. More than 3,500 people have died in the protests so far, the United Nations said.