As a result of the violence perpetrated against the people of Syria by their own government, thousands have lost their lives. The United Nations says that more than 3,000 people have been killed since the Syrian uprising began last March. Events in Syria have now entered a critical stage as international pressure mounts on the regime in Damascus. At the meeting of the Arab League in Cairo, Sunday, the GCC countries called for an end to the crisis which has resulted in the death of innocent people. Many GCC states, including Saudi Arabia, have withdrawn their ambassadors from Damascus to protest the regime's bloody response to the protests of the Syrian people. The GCC called for Syria's suspension from the Arab League in the same way that Libya's membership was suspended earlier this year after Muammar Gaddafi's violent crackdown on protesters there, although since then Libya has been reinstated under the country's new leadership. The GCC also called for an end to the violence in Syria and emphasized the need to search for solutions to end the crisis other than the violence and bloodshed which to date has been the regime's only response to the protest demands of its people. In the end, the Arab League decided against suspension and in favor of giving Syria a 15-day deadline to enact a ceasefire. The League also created a committee to oversee the Syrian crisis and proposed that a national dialogue between Syrian officials and the opposition should take place at the League's headquarters in Cairo. The dialogue is to include members of the opposition from both inside and outside Syria. If the meeting and a ceasefire do not take place within the allotted time frame, the Arab League will meet again in an emergency session. Let us hope that a ceasefire and a national dialogue under Arab League supervision come to pass so that Syria can take a step back from the precipice of disaster on which it is now standing. __
