syria-un-20120122 7

S/2012/71 12-21903 7 Enclosure 3 jim01/sin(12/01)/07-dal(0031) League of Arab States - General Secretariat Division for the Council of the League Department of Council Affairs Meeting of the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level at a resumed extraordinary session in Cairo on 22 January 2012 Report of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States concerning the mandate of the League of Arab States Observer Mission to Syria I wish to thank and commend General Muhammad Mustafa Al-Dabi and all of the members of the Observer Mission for their efforts and sacrifices in fulfilling their difficult task, which we hope will achieve its objective of achieving progress towards the Arab solution to the Syrian crisis. The findings of the field report show that while progress has been made, the Syrian Government has yet to pledge immediate and full implementation of its commitments under the Arab plan of action and the protocol of the Legal Centre regarding the mandate of the Observer Mission, which was concluded between the Syrian Arab Republic and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States. I should also like to stress several important points regarding the political and technical context of the Mission's mandate — the difficult circumstances of which present formidable and complex challenges — and developments that have unfolded in Syria since the League of Arab States began to address the crisis. My purpose is to situate the report in its proper political context. First and foremost, as regards the nature of the Mission: – As you will be aware, the Mission is unprecedented in the history of the political and field action of the League of Arab States, and perhaps also at the international level, in view of the particularities of the Syrian crisis and the international community's response. – This is the first time that a team of civilian observers has been sent to a State experiencing an escalation in civilian protests calling for change and the fall of the regime with the mandate of verifying the Government's implementation of its commitment to end the killings and violence, remove armed presence from cities and residential areas and free detainees. It comes at a time when the Syrian Government retains control of the country. – The Syrian Government is responsible for the safety and security of observers and for escorting their movements and communications on the ground. Paragraph 57 of the report states that the Government side has adopted