Germany Says Syria Will be Judged by Actions

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Syria will be judged by actions rather than words, Germany's foreign minister said Tuesday, urging Damascus to immediately implement an accord to allow Arab observers to monitor a deal ending a nine-month protest crackdown.

Guido Westerwelle, Germany's top diplomat, noted that Syria had broken promises in the past.

"We will therefore judge the agreement of the Syrian leadership with the Arab League not by its words but only by actions, namely their immediate implementation," he said in a written statement.

President Bashar Assad's embattled regime signed a deal at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on Monday to accept observers to monitor a plan to end the bloodshed in which more than 5,000 people have been killed, according to the United Nations.

"Violence must immediately end, the military withdraw, political prisoners be released and unhindered humanitarian access be granted. These are important conditions for a peaceful change in Syria," Westerwelle said.