AL ministers draft anti-Syria sanctions

Arab finance ministers who met in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, issued a communiqué, saying the list of sanctions will be presented to the bloc's foreign ministers for adoption.

The proposed embargo includes a ban on Syrian officials visiting any Arab country and the freezing of government assets.

The list also includes the suspension of flights to Syria, a halt to any transactions with the Syrian government and its central bank, and a freeze on any investments for projects in the country.

The proposed sanctions need the approval of two-third of the Arab League foreign ministers scheduled to meet in the Egyptian capital on Sunday.

The draft comes days after President Bashar al-Assad's government refused to bow to the 22-member bloc's pressure to allow foreign observers to oversee a peace deal to end the country's unrest.

In a letter to the Arab League earlier Saturday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem blamed the Arab League for its attempts to "internationalize" the crisis in his country.

Muallem also criticized AL's plan to call on the United Nations to contribute to the proposed observer mission, condemning it as an invitation “for foreign intervention instead of a call to avoid one.”

Syria has been experiencing a deadly unrest ever since mid-March, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of the Assad government.

Thousands of people, including hundreds of security forces and army personnel, have been killed in the ongoing violence, which the Syrian government blames on outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists.

Damascus also says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and the security forces have been given clear instructions not to harm civilians.

In addition, Syrian state TV has broadcast reports showing seized weapons caches and confessions by terrorist elements describing how they obtained arms from foreign sources.