• SYRIA
  • November 27, 2011
  • 11 minutes read

Arab League Imposes Economic Sanctions Against Syrian Regime

Arab League Imposes Economic Sanctions Against Syrian Regime

After the conclusion of the meeting on Syria, which was attended by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmed Davoud-Oglo, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Hamad Bin Jasim, held a press conference with the secretary general of the Arab League, Nabil El-Araby. 

Bin Jasim read the whole text of the resolution approved today by the ministers. He said that 19 Arab countries approved this resolution, with Iraq voicing reservations and Lebanon deciding not to join the discussions "and stay away from the resolution". He hinted as if Iraq objected while Lebanon abstained.

The Foreign Minister of Qatar said that the Turkish Foreign Minister vowed that his country will join in implementing the sanctions on Syria. This is the first time for the Arab League to impose sanctions against one of its members.

Bin Jasim gave details of the discussions that lasted for 4 hours to make sure that the sanctions would not affect the people of Syria. He also said that he hoped that the Syrian side would have complied with the decision of the Ministerial Council and had signed the Protocol concerning the monitors who were supposed to go to Syria to ensure the ending of violence and protecting civilians.

Bin Jasim said that the Arab League has been acting to prevent the internationalization of the Syrian issue and to prevent the foreign interference. He said that if there was an intention to allow foreign interference, there would be other ways to do so.

The Qatari Foreign Minister said that the Committee formed today through this resolution will provide a report to the Ministerial Council, and said that this Council will meet again next Sunday.

The Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil El-Araby, said that though the Syrian side said it would sign the protocol, but it did not. He said that the Arab League is greatly concerned with the situation and suffering of the civilians in Syria.

He pointed that the meeting yesterday by the economic and social council of the league had suggested sanctions against Syria adopted today by the foreign ministers.

He also refused the idea that these sanctions will not affect the Syrian regime, and he rejected a comment by a reporter that this statement today is not strong enough, saying that these sanctions are unprecedented in the history of the Arab League.

 

Full Text of the Arab League Resolution Adopted on November 27, 2011

FOLLOWING THE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE SITUATION IN SYRIA


The council of the Arab meeting at the ministerial level in its resumed extraordinary session on November 27, 2011 in Cairo,


After reviewing,


-The resolution no. 1900 extraordinary session dated November 26, 2011 issued by the economic and social council at the ministerial level,


-The outcomes of the ministerial committee concerned with the situation in Syria in its meeting held on November 27, 2011


-Based on the following statements and resolutions of the League’s Council at the ministerial level: statement no. 148 extraordinary session dated August 27, 2011 – statement no. 152 regular session no. 136 dated September 13, 2011 – resolution no. 7435 extraordinary session dated October 16, 2011 – resolution no. 7435 extraordinary session dated October 16, 2011 – resolution no. 7436 extraordinary session dated November 2, 2011 – resolution no. 7437 extraordinary session dated November 2, 2011 – resolution no. 7438 extraordinary session dated November 12, 2011 – resolution no. 7439 extraordinary session dated November 16, 2011 in Rabat, Morocco – resolution no. 7440 extraordinary session dated November 16, 2011 – resolution no. 7441 extraordinary session dated November 24, 2011 concerning the developments of the situation in Syria,


-After listening to the presentation by the Secretary General as well as the intervention by the Chairman of the session and the heads of the delegations,


-Bearing into consideration the social and developmental implications – especially on the sectors of health, education and the social services in Syria and the neighboring countries, which would be affected by these measures,


-And in light of the discussions,


Decides


1 – To ban the travelling of top Syrian officials and figures to Arab countries as well as freezing their deposits in the Arab countries. The Executive Technical Committee (referred to in article 13 of this resolution) would be specifying the names of those officials and figures


2 – Stopping transactions with the Central Bank of Syria


3 – Stopping the governmental trade transactions with the Syrian government, with the exception of the strategic commodities that affect the Syrian people


4 – Freezing the financial assets of the Syrian government


5 – Stopping the financial transactions with the Syrian government


6 – Stopping all transactions with the Syrian Commercial Bank


7 – Stopping the funding of any governmental commercial transactions by the Arab central banks with the Syrian Central Bank


8 – Asking the Arab central banks to monitor the bank transfers and the commercial allocations, except the bank transfers send by the Syrian workers abroad to their families in Syria and the transfers by the Syrian citizens from Syria


9 – Freezing the funding of projects on the Syrian territory by the Arab countries.


10 – Regarding the air flights from and to Syria, the Executive Technical Committee will deliver a report within one week – from the date of issuance of this resolution – to the ministerial committee concerned with the situation in Syria to specify the date for stopping the air flights from and to Syria.


11 – Assigning the following entities to monitor the implementation of this resolution, each in its specialization:


-The Arab Civil Air Aviation Authority


-The Arab Monetary Fund


12 – These sanctions do not involve the Arab and international organizations and the universities’ centers and their staff on the Syrian territory


13 – Forming an Executive Technical Committee of top officials and experts, headed by Qatar and with the membership of Jordan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Oman, Egypt, Morocco and the General Secretariat of the Arab League. The mission of this committee would be to consider the exceptions concerning the humanitarian issues that would directly affect the life of the Syrian people – as well as the decisions by the Arab countries neighboring Syria. The committee is also to set a list of the strategic commodities according to specific criteria and specifying the names of the top Syrian officials and figures referred to in article (1) of this resolution, and to provide regular reports to the Council of the Arab League through the Arab Ministerial Committee concerned with the situation in Syria.     


14 – Keeping the Council in case of permanent session to follow the developments of the situation.

 

Resolution no. 7442 – Extraordinary session – November 27, 2011