The Arab League suspended Syria on Saturday until President Bashar Al-Assad implements an Arab deal to end violence against protesters, and called for sanctions and transition talks with the opposition. US President Barack Obama praised the move, EU foreign policy chief Catherin Ashton also expressed her full support and the opposition Syrian National Council said it was a “step in the right direction.” A statement, read by Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassem Al-Thani, said the League had decided “to suspend Syrian delegations' activities in Arab League meetings” and to implement “economic and political sanctions against the Syrian government.” Sheikh Hamad said the suspension would last “until the total implementation (by Syria) of the Arab plan for resolving the crisis accepted by Damascus on November 2.” “Syria is a dear country for all of us and it pains us to make this decision,” Bin Jassim told reporters. “We hope there will be a brave move from Syria to stop the violence and begin a real dialogue toward real reform.” Under the plan, the regime had agreed to release detainees, withdraw the army from urban areas, allow free movement for observers and media and negotiate with the opposition. Obama said he applauded the “important decisions taken by the Arab League today, including the suspension of Syria's membership”, in a statement issued from Hawaii, where he is hosting an Asia-Pacific summit. A spokesman for the EU's Ashton, said: “We fully support the decisions taken by the Arab League today which show the increasing isolation of the Syrian regime.” The 22-member Arab League will monitor the situation and revisit the decision in a meeting Wednesday in the Moroccan capital Rabat, Bin Jassim said, a move that appeared to give Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad time to avert the suspension. The statement called for a meeting in Cairo with Syrian opposition groups in three days to “agree a unified vision for the coming transitional period in Syria.” In Damascus, pro-regime demonstrators threw eggs and tomatoes at the Qatari embassy and broke the windows of the Saudi embassy to protest the vote.
