The Arab League suspended on Saturday Syria’s membership in the organization, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani said.
The regional body will impose harsh economic and political sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s government, Jassim said.
Syria, one of the Arab League’s founders, will be banned from participating in the regional body’s meetings.
The Prime Minster said that the suspension would come into force on November 16.
"We were criticized for taking a long time but this was out of our concern for Syria," Jassim said after the Arab League's ministerial meeting in Cairo. "We needed to have a majority to approve those decisions."
Last week Damascus agreed to accept the Arab League peace plan on Syria. Under the plan, Syria would release political prisoners detained during the ongoing conflict, and all military equipment would be removed from urban areas. Syria also obliged to allow Arab League and world media representatives into the country.
Opposition leaders maintain that Syrian authorities continue to use force against "peaceful demonstrations" and many people were killed or injured as a result.
Meanwhile, the authorities say that the troops and police are clashing with militants, who are financed from abroad and attack administrative bodies and ordinary citizens.
According to UN estimates, more than 3,000 people have been killed in Syria since mid-March, when first anti-regime protests began.
