Chief of Arab League’s Mission in Syria Is Lightning Rod for Criticism
The Arab League observer mission charged with helping bring about an end to the violence in Syria claimed several accomplishments on Monday, noting that the government had withdrawn tanks and artillery from cities, and had released nearly 3,500 prisoners.
But the killings have continued, and the mission has been mired in controversy, much of it focused on its leader: a Sudanese general who, rights activists say, presided over the same kind of deadly and heavy-handed tactics in Sudan that the Arab League mission is seeking to curb in Syria.
Lt. Gen. Muhammad Ahmed al-Dabi, who once ran Sudan’s notorious military intelligence agency, has only compounded the criticism with his recent statements.
Last week, he spoke dismissively about the damage in Homs, a rebellious city that was shelled by government tanks and where dozens of people were killed. “Some places looked a bit of a mess, but there was nothing frightening,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
full: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/world/middleeast/arab-league-criticized-over-syria-observer-mission.html?pagewanted=all
