Arab League monitors acknowledge presence of terrorist groups in Homs

The Atlantic and Gulf media write that President al-Assad had the tanks surrounding the city of Homs pulled back, the dug out trenches filled, the corpses lying in the streets picked up and the prisons emptied, in order to conceal his crimes from the observers of the Arab League. But all this staging apparently turned out to be insufficient in view of the 70,000 people who allegedly flocked to welcome them by demonstrating at al-Saa Square against the regime, only to be dispersed with tear gas.

In this context, the Atlantic and Gulf media are questioning the credibility of the Arab League monitors who have failed so far to endorse their version of events.

Such articles leave the reader perplexed: how can journalists in Paris and Riyadh pretend to know better what is happening in Homs than the Arab League team who came to observe on the spot?

Especially since the images broadcast live on Syrian television showed indeed a huge demonstration in the center of Homs welcoming the observers, but also calling on President al-Assad to take action against the armed gangs that terrorize the city. The crowd in al-Saa Square brandished portraits of Bashar al-Assad and Syrian flags, and did not appear to be suffering from the effects of tear gas.