Arab League Observes Syria

Monitors say it will take a week to see if Assad is serious about the peace deal.

Observers from the Arab League landed in the Syrian city of Homs today to see if Assad is complying with their peace plan. The deal requires Syria to end all violence against civilians, withdraw troops, and release thousands of political prisoners. Until now, data about the estimated 5,000 civilians killed was largely collected from NGOs and activists since foreign media have not been granted access to the country. Thousands protested in Homs when the monitors arrived, as many activists claimed that government tanks were removed just hours before the team reached the city. Activists have also argued that the observers are limited since they depend on the government for transportation and security, and that the government moved detainees onto military bases where they could not be seen.