Shane Farrell and Nadine Elali

After three weeks on the job, and with the daily death toll just as high as before their arrival, Arab League observers in Syria must surely be wondering what they are doing there. It is a fair question.

Their arrival did little to stem the violence raging across the country. On the contrary, since their arrival over 400 people have been killed and there are no signs of this changing. Moreover, the three explosions, which state controlled television says are suicide attacks, took place after the first observers arrived in Syria.

The first two attacks, at least, were seen by some as a direct message to the observers. More worryingly for the men in the high-viz jackets, they were the target of an armed attack on Monday, which left eleven lightly wounded. The mission has also been under figurative fire, with both pro- and anti-regime demonstrators criticizing the mission for its unprofessionalism and lack of training, among other things.

But its most damning indictment to date has come from one of its own members. On Wednesday, it was announced that Anwar Malek, an Algerian observer, had resigned from his post several days prior. Speaking to Al-Jazeera, Malek called the mission a “farce” and reported that he witnessed "a humanitarian disaster.” He also accused the regime not of “committing one war crime but a series of crimes against its people."

On Thursday, in an article published by Al-Hayat newspaper, Malek said that the regime has gained a lot of time with the presence of the Arab League observers’ mission and that it has used this time to implement its plan. He expects “a more bloody phase” following their departure, but estimates that if the observers do not leave immediately, a civil war is likely to ensue.

A second observer told Reuters on Wednesday that he too is seriously considering leaving, and Malek claimed that others have also resigned.

Considering this, why is the Syrian National Council maintaining its support for the observers and the Arab League initiative? Why, instead, does the body not seek the assistance of the far more powerful UN Security Council, as many activists and opposition members are demanding?

In a Facebook post, dated January 11 of this year, Local Coordination Committees of Syria spokesperson Mohammad al-Abdullah made this charge against the SNC.

Abdullah accused the SNC of being “shamefully absent” from a UN Security Council (UNSC) special hearing earlier this week on the crisis and for failing to complete and return a document to the UNSC which would demand the body take action.

“Last Friday, one of the Security Council members drafted a proposal and sent it to the SNC. It asked for the SNC to discuss it, amend it if necessary and return it to the SC in an official manner so that it would be presented at Monday’s SC hearing session,” Abdullah wrote. “The paper is an official request from the SNC to the SC asking the latter to take action to help protect the Syrian people,” he added.

Abdullah stated that no document had been presented by the SNC to the UNSC prior to Monday’s meeting.
In response to these charges, SNC member Omar Edelby told NOW Lebanon he doubts the validity of Abdullah's claims. “Since the SNC is not an internationally recognized party, it is not eligible to fill in a request and send to the Security Council,” he said.

Edelby agrees that management of the crisis should be taken from the regional to the international level and says the SNC is working to make this happen. “The SNC believes that the Arab League is incapable of forcing the regime to commit to the [Arab League] initiative and to protecting the civilians in Syria,” he said. “As a result, we as the Syrian National Council [have requested the Arab League] transfer the file of the Syrian crisis to the Security Council, so that the Security Council adopts the Arab initiative and forces its application under Chapter 7 of the UN charter.” Chapter 7 sets out the UNSC’s power to maintain international peace and security, including both military and non-military measures.

Moreover, Edelby added that the SNC has requested a meeting with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whereby the body will deliver him a letter. “Based on this letter,” he said, “the Secretary-General or any other UN country can file a request to the UN Security Council asking it to protect Syrian civilians.”

The Arab League, meanwhile, does not appear to be keen on reducing its role in Syria despite the SNC’s calls for the issue to be transferred to the UN and Malek’s concern that the observers’ mission is just buying more time for the regime. Moreover, the body has suggested that it may soon send even more observers.