The Arab League approved sanctions on Sunday against Syria to penalize President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for a deadly crackdown on protesters.
Nineteen of the League’s 21 states approved the unprecedented sanctions. They are expected to bejoined by Turkey, an ally of Syria’s that has in recent weeks distanced itself from Damascus. Iraq, the country’s largest trading partner, abstained, and Lebanon voted against the measures.
Implementing the 14-point sanctions plan (Arabic pdf), however, depends on the goodwill of each member state and it’s unclear if the League can supervise enforcement, according to the Wall Street Journal’s report on the measures.
