Doubts emerge before Arab vote on Syria sanctions

Arab League task force on Syria met Sunday in Cairo Cairo – Agencies An Arab League task force on Syria met Sunday in Cairo to discuss implementing punitive sanctions against Damascus over its lethal crackdown on dissent ahead of a vote by foreign ministers .
But as the meeting chaired by Qatar got underway, cracks appeared over the feasibility of the measures with some countries warning against hasty decisions and Syria's neighbours expressing reservations, diplomats said.
Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, which border Syria and have close economic ties with Damascus, were invited to attend the task force meeting, Egypt's state-run MENA news agency reported.
Arab diplomats said Algeria and Oman -- two members of the task force which also includes Sudan and Egypt as well as the Arab League chief -- have questioned the "feasibility" of sanctions on Syria.
Algeria and Oman have cautioned against hasty decisions because they consider that "the negative impact of the sanctions will be catastrophic for the people before affecting the regime," one diplomat said.
Arab finance ministers recommended on Saturday a raft of sanctions against Syria, which has defied an ultimatum to accept observers under an Arab League plan to end its eight-month crackdown.
The punitive measures include a ban on Syrian officials visiting any Arab country, the freezing of government assets, suspension of flights and a halt to any transactions with the Syrian government and central bank.
Arab states are also called to freeze any investments for projects in Syria.
They were to be discussed by the task force which would then ask foreign ministers of the 22-member Arab bloc "to take the appropriate measures" including a vote.
But sanctions must be approved by a two-thirds majority and the Arabs appeared divided on how to deal with Syria.
"Countries that support the sanctions, led by Qatar, think it is important to implement them, even gradually, while at the same time look for means and mechanisms to ease their impact on the Syrian people," an Arab diplomat said.
It would be the first time the Arab League has taken such a decision against one of its members.
Arab sanctions on Syria could be crippling for a country already facing a raft of EU and US sanctions, and which depends on its Arab neighbours for half of its exports and a quarter of its imports.
"If that is to happen, it will be very unfortunate because the damage will be to all sides," Syrian Economy Minister Mohammed Nidal al-Shaar told AFP in an exclusive interview.
But he said that he did not expect all Arab countries to back the recommendation.
Among those who appear opposed are Syria's immediate neighbours Lebanon and Iraq, which has already said "it is not possible... to impose economic sanctions on Syria."
Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh has warned that any Arab sanctions on Syria must be "compatible with the interests" of each member country.
"We support Arab unity in regards to the Syrian issue but... the interests of our country must be taken into consideration," Judeh said on Saturday, noting that Jordan imports goods overland via Syria.
Earlier this month Iraq abstained from a vote that saw the Arab League suspend Syria's membership, while Lebanon joined Yemen and Syria itself in opposing the resolution.
In a letter to the Arab League on Saturday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem accused the organisation of seeking to "internationalise" the crisis in his country.
The violence showed no sign of abating on Sunday, with security forces killing at least 10 people, six in the flashpoint central region of Homs which has been besieged for weeks in a bid to crush dissent, activists said.
Meanwhile, Bahrain and Qatar called on their citizens to leave Syria, after the United Arab Emirates also advised its citizens earlier in the week to stay away.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he would also join his Arab counterparts in Cairo to "harmonise" with them Ankara's response to Damascus.
Ankara has also hit Syria with energy sanctions.
The Arab League had set a Friday deadline for Damascus to agree to the details of the observers' mission, part of a reform deal Syria had previously said it accepted.