Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil Al-Arabi, held a meeting with a delegation of the umbrella opposition group, the Syrian National Council (SNC) on Monday afternoon, headed by Bassma Kodmani, SNC spokesperson, but stated that recognition of the Council would be premature.

Al-Arabi stated that only today was a request received by Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Al-Muallem, to hold an urgent session in order to discuss Syria’s situation. The request follows the ultimatum given to Syria on Saturday, threatening its expulsion from the 15-member league.

The League also met with a group of human rights organisations on Monday morning to discuss ways to protect the Syrian civilian population. The 500-member delegation is set to travel to Syria on Wednesday.

Al-Arabi clarified, however, that the mission would travel once the Syrian government has ratified an agreement, outlining the responsibilities of each party to the agreement. 

The meeting was seen a successful one, despite Al-Arabi’s statement on Sunday stating that it is too soon to recognise the SNC, a step that was taken with Libya's National Transitional Council.