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Summary Ban Ki-moon said Arab League and UN are considering sending a joint observer mission to Syria.
The Arab League and United Nations are considering sending a joint observer mission to Syria, UN leader Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday, as he warned the deadly crackdown could worsen.Ban launched the idea as he bemoaned the UN Security Councils failure to agree a resolution on the crisis, saying the vote had been disastrous for the Syrian people and had only encouraged President Bashar al-Assad to step up the war on opponents.A joint Arab League-UN mission could increase pressure on Assad, diplomats said. But they added that it would need careful preparation before it would got backing from the major powers.Ban and the secretary general of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi, spoke on Tuesday about events in Syria since the League suspended its monitoring mission on January 28 because of the mounting violence. Many Arab states have completely withdrawn their representatives.He informed me that he intends to send the Arab League observer mission back to Syria and asked for UN help, Ban told reporters after a UN Security Council meeting.He further suggested that we consider a joint observer mission in Syria, including a joint special envoy.
