The head of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi, said Wednesday he had refused a request from the European Union to refer the Syrian crisis to the United Nations Security Council, dpa reported.
The request had been made by the bloc's foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels on December 1, al-Arabi told the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al Awsat in remarks published Wednesday.
"I confirmed to the ministers that we are working (on the Syrian crisis) within an Arab framework to find a solution," al-Arabi added.
He told the paper that his organization would not give the Syrian government a new deadline to accept a peace plan or face sanctions.
"The economic sanctions and measures, endorsed by the Arab League on November 27, are now in effect," al-Arabi said.