CAIRO/WASHINGTON: World leaders have called on Syria to deliver on promises after agreeing to an Arab League plan that would see armored vehicles removed from the streets, an end to the crackdown on protests, release of all political prisoners and opposition dialogue within two weeks.

Syria accepted the Arab League proposal in full Wednesday, drawn up in a bid to end the country’s seven-month-old political crisis. But the agreement was met with deep skepticism by Syria’s opposition.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani urged Damascus to follow through with action on the ground amid concern that Syria has continued its bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters despite international condemnation and previous promises of reform.

Najib al-Ghadban, a U.S.-based Syrian activist and member of the opposition Syrian National Council, said implementation of the initiative would mean the end of the regime and President Bashar Assad was not likely to let that happen.

“What happened today is an attempt to buy more time,” Ghadban told the Associated Press. “This regime is notorious for maneuvering and for giving promises and not implementing any of them.”
In addition to stopping violence, the proposal calls on Syria to allow journalists, rights groups and Arab League representatives to monitor the situation in the country.

But it remains unclear if the agreement will make a difference on the ground. Activists on social networking sites called for massive marches across Syria to test the government’s commitment to the Arab League plan, although they did not specify a date.

Dozens also protested outside the Arab League’s Cairo headquarters as foreign ministers met Wednesday, chanting slogans against Assad.

The proposal did not state where the dialogue between authorities and the opposition is to take place. Arab diplomats involved in the process said they had suggested Cairo while the Syrians insisted that all dialogue take place in the capital Damascus.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby told Al-Arabiya in a telephone interview that that talks would be held in Cairo.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the Obama administration was waiting to see the details of the Arab League agreement with Syria. But she said Assad’s government has a long track record of broken pledges.
“We’re not going to judge them by their words. We’re going to judge them by their actions,” Nuland told reporters in Washington.

White House spokesman Jay Carney reiterated the U.S. position that Assad should stand down.
“Our position remains that President Assad has lost his legitimacy to rule and should step down,” Carney told reporters in Washington.

Syria blames the violence on “armed gangs” and extremists seeking to destabilize the regime in line with a foreign agenda, an assertion that raised questions about its willingness to cease all forms of violence. Previous attempts to hold dialogue with the opposition were unsuccessful.

“We are happy to have reached the agreement and we’ll be happier if it is carried out,” Sheikh Jassim said.
“We hope that there will be serious follow-through, whether regarding violence and killing or regarding prisoners,” he said.
Hasan Abdul-Azim, a prominent Syria-based dissident who heads the National Committee for Democratic Change, welcomed the Arab League’s efforts to solve the crisis in Syria but said dialogue was absolutely rejected as long as the current crackdown continued.

“We will wait and see the response to the initiative before deciding on the next steps in coordination with the opposition abroad and the youth on the ground,” he said.
The regime’s opponents in Syria are a diverse, fragmented group and the opposition is struggling to overcome infighting and inexperience.

While the Syrian National Council says it will only negotiate the terms of a peaceful transfer of power, other opposition figures appear more willing to engage in dialogue with the regime. In accepting the initiative, Assad may be counting on that disunity to give the semblance of dialogue and gain time.

The proposal was presented by a council of Arab foreign ministers. Notably, Syrian Foreign Minster Walid al-Moallem did not attend the meeting. Instead, Syria’s ambassador to Egypt and the Arab League, Youssef Ahmad, delivered Syria’s response.

The United Nations says some 3,000 people have been killed since the revolt began in March. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday he supported the agreement.
“I hope that this agreement will be implemented without delay,” he told reporters in Tripoli, Libya.

The fresh bloodshed, which apparently started late Tuesday in the city of Homs, which has endured the brunt of the government’s brutal crackdown on dissent, suggests Syria is sliding toward chaos amid increasing signs that the crisis was exacerbating religious and sectarian tensions. The Syrian opposition’s two main activist groups said gunmen attacked factory workers in the Houla district Wednesday, killing 11 people.