Syria 'reaches' unrest deal with Arab League

[pampango]

Source: Aljazeera

Syria has said it reached a deal with an Arab League committee entrusted with finding a way to end seven months of unrest and starting a dialogue between President Bashar al-Assad and his opponents. State media reported the deal without giving details, saying an official announcement of the agreement would be made at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday.

The UN says more than 3,000 people have been killed in Assad's crackdown on an uprising which erupted in March against his rule, inspired by revolutions which have toppled three Arab leaders this year.

Arab diplomats said the ministers proposed that Syria release immediately prisoners held since February, withdraw security forces from the streets, permit deployment of Arab League monitors and start a dialogue with the opposition.

Omar Idlibi, a member of the grassroots Local Co-ordination Committee and member of the Syrian National Council, said the opposition wanted to see details of the agreement.

"We fear that this agreement is another attempt to give the regime a new chance to crush this revolution and kill more Syrians," he said. "It helps the Syrian regime to remain in power while the demands of the people are clear in terms of toppling the regime and its unsuitability even to lead a transitional period."

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/11/2011111175657214856.html