Citing well-informed Arab sources, Kuwaiti Al-Qabas daily newspaper said Sunday the Arab League ministerial delegation warned Assad that failure to resolve the crisis within an Arab fold would mean "internationalising" the issue.

"The Arab delegation was frank and clear during its meeting with the Syrian leadership and warned that if an Arab solution fails, it would mean internationalising the crisis," the daily cited the sources as saying.

"This would mean Syria should expect a foreign intervention and a painful international blockade on the economy and other aspects," it added.

The Arab League team, headed by Qatar, held talks with Assad on Wednesday and was due to meet Syrian officials in Doha later on Sunday.

Assad, meanwhile, warned that any Western intervention would cause an "earthquake" enflaming the region, after dozens died in one of the bloodiest days of the uprising against his rule.

In an interview with Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Assad warned of "another Afghanistan" if foreign forces intervened in his country as they had with the Libyan uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

The Arab ministers also demanded that Syria should supply the Arab League with a clear "roadmap" for reforms with specific dates for implementation, Al-Qabas said.

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