Arab League

Libya has decided to withdraw from the Arab League, Moammar Kadafi's government announced. No reason was given, but Libyan officials cited the Arab League's inefficiency in dealing with the crises over Iraq and the Palestinians. In a statement by the Libyan news agency, the Ministry of African Affairs said an official notification had been sent to Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

An Arab League delegation tasked with helping to end violence in Syria met Wednesday with President Bashar Assad, as antigovernment activists said a general strike paralyzed parts of the country and that 17 more people had been killed. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Syrians chanting pro-Assad slogans gathered in central Damascus in a boisterous, nationally televised rally probably timed to coincide with the arrival of the Arab League delegation. An Arab League official told reporters that "frank and friendly" talks had been held with the president and more were planned, but no breakthrough was reported in efforts to end the bloody seven-month rebellion.

Plans for a special summit of Arab foreign ministers today were called off Thursday night with the breakup of a preliminary meeting here. The summit was to discuss the U.S. bombing of Libya last month. A communique issued after the two-day meeting said the ministers of the 21-member Arab League decided to meet again in Morocco at a date to be fixed to discuss an agenda for a summit.

In a stark rebuke to one of its members, the Arab League urged the United Nations on Saturday to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to stop Moammar Kadafi's warplanes from weeks of bloodshed and heavy bombardment of cities, neighborhoods and oil refineries in territory held by rebels. The move came even as forces loyal to Kadafi advanced eastward toward the strategic city of Port Brega in an intensifying onslaught against outgunned rebels, who retreated from airstrikes and rocket barrages that thundered across deserts and coastal highways.

With no end to the bloodshed in Syria, the Arab League on Sunday called for President Bashar Assad to hand over power to his top deputy and sought the formation of a unity government to prepare for early elections. The league's demands seem certain to anger the Syrian government, which blames months of unrest on "foreign conspiracies" and has repeatedly rejected what it regards as attacks on its sovereignty. League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said the 22-member regional bloc would seek endorsement from the United Nations Security Council for its plan but did not say what it would do if Syria did not comply with its demands.

The Arab League will not comment on the military conflict in the Persian Gulf and does not plan to hold an emergency summit on the crisis, a spokesman said Sunday. "We have made a number of resolutions and our position is clear," Adnan Omran, an aide to the league's secretary general, said in an interview. "We have expressed our hope that there will be peace, and those hopes were not realized. Obviously we still hope there will be peace."

Opposition activists said Syrian security forces killed at least 17 people Friday as President Bashar Assad's government faced an Arab League deadline of Saturday for implementing a faltering peace plan. Demonstrators across Syria chanted antigovernment slogans and called on foreign nations to expel Syrian ambassadors, a move that would further isolate Assad. Damascus and Arab League representatives were said to be haggling about the terms of an observer mission to be sent into Syria, where human rights groups say security forces have responded brutally to eight months of largely peaceful protests.

Arab divisions over the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait widened Monday when the foreign ministers of 12 anti-Iraqi nations agreed to move the headquarters of the Arab League back to Cairo next month. Iraq and eight of its supporters boycotted the meeting, and Iraq served notice in advance that it would not recognize the decision of the majority coalition led by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

An unexpectedly turbulent Arab League summit whose goal was to find a unified position on Iraq nearly disintegrated Saturday amid a shouting match between Libya's Moammar Kadafi and the Saudi Arabian crown prince and a proposal by the United Arab Emirates recommending that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein resign. The UAE proposal, which had been discussed previously only in private meetings, marked the first time that an Arab country has publicly urged Hussein to step down.

Tunisia has expelled Libya's ambassador to the Arab League after accusing him of illicit activities, the Kuwaiti newspaper Siyassah reported Thursday. The Libyan, Basheer Jamjoum, returned home a few days ago, the newspaper said, quoting unidentified Arab sources in Paris. The 21-member Arab League is headquartered in Tunisia. Tunisian authorities accused Jamjoum of "holding contacts with anti-government opposition forces, and (illicitly) visiting military camps," the newspaper said.