Syria signs Arab League deal to allow observers

Syria signed an Arab League initiative yesterday that will allow observers into the country as part of an effort to end the nation's increasingly bloody nine-month crisis. But the main opposition group accused the regime of stalling.

The signing at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo followed increasing world pressure on Syria, alongside a wave of armed clashes between Syria's military and defectors from the army, raising fears of an imminent civil war.

The regime's acceptance of Arab observers came after a warning from Arab leaders that they would turn to the UN Security Council to try to end President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown that the UN says has killed at least 5,000 people.

AP