The Arab League has given the Syrian regime three days to halt months of deadly violence against its people or face economic sanctions, Qatar's prime minister said.
The 22-member league is "giving the Syrian government three days to stop the bloody repression" of its civilian population, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani told a press conference after a meeting of member states in Rabat, Morocco.
"But if Damascus does not agree to cooperate with the league, sanctions will be adopted against Syria," he said.
He said that Arab patience was running out with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad after a bloody crackdown against demonstrators that has killed over 3,500 people since March according to the United Nations.
"I don't want to speak about last chances so (the regime) doesn't think it is being given an ultimatum but we are almost at the end of the line," he said.
Ealier, Turkey and members of the Arab League called for "urgent measures" to protect Syrian civilians from violent repression by the regime of Mr Assad.
In a statement issued after a Turkish-Arab cooperation forum in Rabat, they also declared they were "against all foreign intervention in Syria".
"The forum declares that it is necessary to stop the bloodshed and to spare Syrian citizens from new acts of violence and killing, and demands that urgent measures are taken to ensure the protection of civilians," the statement said.
"Ministers also stressed the importance of Syria's stability and unity and the need to find a resolution to the crisis without any foreign intervention," it said.
The UN says 3,500 people have been killed in the pro-democracy protests that began in March.
Syria blames the unrest on "terrorists" and foreign-backed Islamist militants. It says 1,100 soldiers and police have been killed.
