Damascus blamed Washington on Wednesday over “the rude interference” in the Arab League’s monitoring mission in Syria, following the State Department spokeswoman’s criticism of Syrian authorities, RIA Novosti reported.
“The U.S. statements are the rude interference in the Arab League’s work,” the spokesman for Syrian Foreign Ministry, Jihad Makdissi said, adding that the United States attempted to incite violence.
Makdissi’s remarks came a day after the spokeswoman of the U.S. Department of State, Victoria Nuland said that Syrian authorities had not lived up to the commitments that they had made to the Arab League while allowing its monitoring mission to the country.
A group of 50 Arab League monitors arrived in Syria in late December on a month-long mission to implement a plan calling for the withdrawal of the military from towns and residential districts, a halt to violence against civilians and the release of detainees.
The Syrian opposition has called the Arab League’s mission “a farce” after Sudanese Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi, who heads the mission, said that the situation in Syria was calm and reassuring.
According to UN data, President Bashar Assad's crackdown on the protests, inspired by uprisings across the Arab world this year, has killed more than 5,000 people. Syrian authorities blame armed gangs for the violence and say 1,100 soldiers and police have been killed.
