Syria has responded to a decision by the Arab League to suspend its observer mission in the country, reportedly saying it was an attempt to influence the United Nations Security Council and to increase pressure for foreign intervention.
Syrian state television said the move would have a negative impact and encourage armed forces to increase violence.
"Syria is surprised by and regrets the decision taken by (Arab League chief Nabil) al-Arabi to suspend the observer mission after having decided (last week) to extend it for a month," state news agency SANA said on its website.
The Arab League announced the suspension of the mission because of what it said was a serious worsening of the security situation in Syria.
"It has been decided to immediately stop the work of the Arab League's mission to Syria pending presentation of the issue to the league's council," the Secretary-General of the Arab League said in a statement.
The mission would remain in Syria, a source at the league had earlier told Reuters, but would temporarily freeze its work.
The head of the monitoring mission, Ambassador Adnan al-Khodeir, had earlier said that the General Secretariat of the league would take all the necessary procedures to protect the safety of its monitors in Syria.
"The decision to suspend the Arab League mission in Syria has been taken because of the upsurge in violence, and an official announcement will be made later," an official said on condition of anonymity.
The head of the League monitoring mission said yesterday that unrest had soared this week "in a significant way," especially in the flashpoint central cities of Homs and Hama and in the northern Idlib region.
The violence "does not help ... to get all sides to sit at the negotiating table," General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi said in a statement.
Clashes
Activists say up to 30 people were killed today in clashes between the military and anti-government protesters.
At least 193 people, mostly civilians, had already been killed in Syrian violence nationwide since Tuesday, according to figures compiled by AFP from information provided by official sources and rights activists.
The 165 League observers were deployed on December 26 after Syria agreed to a League plan foreseeing a halt to the violence, prisoners freed, tanks withdrawn from built-up areas and free movement of observers and foreign media.
None of the clauses in the protocol were respected.
