Weeks of mostly fruitless negotiations continue between the Syrian government and the Arab League today, with the Arab League imposing yet another ultimatum on the regime to follow through with its pledge to allow international monitors in.

The latest deadline, the third since Syria signed its deal this month, gives Assad just 24 hours to agree, and threatens to impose serious financial sanctions on the Syrian government if he refuses.

Syria initially embraced the deal as an opportunity to “prove” that the media reports about violent crackdowns were false, but then dramatically escalated those crackdowns and refused to allow the monitors in. Since then the Arab League has expelled them and is now backing the United Nations efforts to condemn the violence.

Syria has responded poorly to previous ultimatums, insisting they prove the Arab League is secretly part of some NATO plot to discredit them. At the same time, they seem ever more resistant to implementing the deal they agreed upon.

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