The objections to al-Dabi's presence appeared in a statement from the Doctors Local Committee in Damascus. The remarks showed up in a post on the website of the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria, a major opposition activist network.
"The appointment of al-Dabi taints the Arab League's efforts and characterizes it as nothing more than a political farce, causing little help but much harm to the situation in Syria. We call for a fair, independent observer mission to be allowed full and unrestricted access to all areas of Syria. It would be more appropriate, in our view, in the circumstances of the current conflict, for the United Nations to be mandated to conduct the monitoring mission," the statement said.
Rebels in Darfur have fought government forces and allied militiamen, such as the Janjaweed, since 2003. The United Nations reported as many as 300,000 people were killed and there has been widespread displacement over the years in Darfur, located in western Sudan.
The International Criminal Court, investigating genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur, issued arrest warrants for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, then-government minister Ahmed Harun, Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb, and Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein. It issued summonses to appear for Abdallah Banda and Saleh Jerbo, two rebel leaders accused of spearheading an attack that killed 12 African Union peacekeepers.
An Arab League source told CNN that the claims against al-Dabi "come with no evidence. "
But the Syrian opposition statement said al-Dabi was a director of Sudan's military intelligence "during the early years" of al-Bashir's "salvation regime."
