Syria crisis: Qatar calls for Arabs to send in troops Published duration 14 January 2012

image caption Under the emir, Qatar was the first Arab country to join the military intervention in Libya

The ruler of the Gulf state of Qatar has said Arab countries should send troops into Syria to stop government forces killing civilians there.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani told US television channel CBS "some troops should go to stop the killing".

It is the first time an Arab leader has publicly called for military intervention in Syria.

More than 5,000 civilians have been killed since anti-government protests erupted in Syria in March, the UN says.

Qatar was the first Arab country to join the Nato-led operation in Libya, which led to the downfall of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.

It has also led regional criticism of the crackdowns on protesters by President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and in Yemen by President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Interviewed on the 60 Minutes programme, Sheikh Hamad was asked if he was in favour of Arab nations intervening in Syria.

"For such a situation to stop the killing... some troops should go to stop the killing," he said, in the programme to be broadcast on Sunday.

The Arab League despatched 165 observers to Syria to monitor compliance with a peace plan, but members have expressed doubts as to the mission's efficacy.

One of the observers resigned last week, calling the mission a "farce" because of impediments by the Syrian government. Anwar Malek said he had witnessed war crimes in Syria.

Two Kuwaiti observers were wounded when their convoy was attacked in the city of Latakia. Plans to extend the mission were put on hold as a result of the incident.

The observers are due to complete their initial four-week deployment on 19 January. Their report will be discussed by Arab League foreign ministers at a meeting next Saturday.

The league has said it may refer Syria to the UN Security Council if the monitors' report is negative.

China and Russia have so far blocked any UN action on Syria, fearing a Security Council resolution could lead to another international intervention, such as occurred with Libya.

The head of the Arab League, Nabil al-Araby, said on Friday he feared Syria was sliding into a full-scale civil war.

More than 400 civilians have been killed in Syria since the observers began their mission in December, according to the UN.

In Syria, troops backed by tanks are continuing an assault, begun on Friday, on the rebellious mountain town of Zabadani, near the Lebanese border, witnesses say.

Reuters news agency quoted an exiled opposition leader as saying 40 people in the town were injured in the fighting on Saturday.

It was the biggest attack on opponents of Mr Assad since the Arab observers began work on 26 December, Reuters said.