Syria Slams Arabi Talks with Opposition as 'Serious Precedent'

Syria has filed a “strong formal protest memorandum” with the Arab League over Wednesday’s meeting between its Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi and “figures claiming to represent the Syrian opposition,” Syria’s official news agency SANA said Friday.

The opposition figures “handed al-Arabi a list of demands calling for all forms of flagrant foreign interference, including military intervention,” SANA said.

In the memo, Syria's Permanent Representative to the Arab League Youssef Ahmed expressed “deep concern over this step as a serious precedent in terms of joint Arab action,” the agency reported.

Ahmed slammed “such irresponsible act by the AL Secretary General who exceeded his powers and mission defined by the AL charter, in contrast to a firm fact that he is the secretary general of a regional organization representing Arab countries.”

He added that al-Arabi’s step violated the League Charter, accusing the secretariat general of seeking “exaggerated media coverage of the meeting.”

"In this context, I cannot but express strong dissatisfaction over leaking information about your meeting with President Bashar al-Assad on September 10th, 2011 in such a delicate timing, which damaged the confidence that was supposed to exist between the Syrian government and the League’s secretariat general,” Ahmed said in the memo, addressing al-Arabi.

He noted that the alleged leaks would affect al-Arabi’s mission in “communicating, cooperating and coordinating with the Syrian leadership to come out of the current crisis.”