Syrian President Bashar Assad may soon sign the protocol of League of Arab States peace initiative aimed at ending eight months of deadly unrest, Al-Arabia TV said on Sunday referring to the foreign minister of Qatar.
"We are optimistic and hope that Syria will sign the protocol already prepared by the League of Arab States in 24 hours. If this does not happen, League of Arab States ministers will meet on Wednesday to discuss possible steps," the TV channel quoted as saying minister Hamad bin Jassim.
Currently, Qatar, Egypt, Algeria, Oman and Sudan are striving to persuade Syria to allow Arab observers on its territory. Their task is to estimate whether the country's government is trying to end the conflict peacefully.
The United Nations says Assad's crackdown on the protests, inspired by uprisings across the Arab world this year, has killed more than 5,000 people. Authorities blame armed gangs for the violence and say 1,100 soldiers and police have been killed.
The Arab League suspended Syria and declared economic sanctions against Damascus over its failure to implement the initiative, joining the United States, European Union and neighbouring Turkey who have also imposed sanctions.
Russia on Thursday presented a draft resolution at the United Nations which stepped up its criticism of the bloodshed in Syria.
