12-strong Jordan Team to Join Monitors in Syria

Jordan has chosen 12 judges and military experts to join an Arab League observer mission in Syria, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The semi-official Ad-Dustour newspaper quoted Information Minister Rakan Majali as saying "the final list of names of the Jordanian team expected to join the observers' mission in Syria is ready."

"It comprises the names of 12 judges, army officers and experts in peacekeeping," he said, adding that Amman was awaiting a green-light from the Arab League to dispatch the team to neighboring Syria.

A first team of 50 observers arrived Monday in Syria and have since visited several flashpoint cities and towns that have seen a deadly crackdown on anti-regime protesters.

The mission is part of an Arab plan endorsed by Syria on November 2 that calls for the withdrawal of the military from towns and residential districts, a halt to violence against civilians and the release of detainees.

The mission, led by a Sudanese veteran intelligence officer, is expected to grow to number 150-200 monitors.

The U.N. estimates more than 5,000 people have been killed in the crackdown since protests against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime began in mid-March.