Syria ignores Arab deal deadline

An Arab League deadline for Damascus to accept observers or face sanctions passed Friday with no response from Syria, as activists reported more deaths and anti-regime protests inside the country.

An Arab League deadline for Damascus to accept observers or face sanctions passed Friday with no response from Syria, as activists reported more deaths and anti-regime protests inside the country.

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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a 17-year-old boy was killed when security forces opened fire randomly in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor and also reported protests in other parts of the country.

Activists had urged Syrians to rally in support of the rebel Syrian Free Army whose mutinous soldiers have claime Cairo d repeated anti-regime attacks in recent days."Until now there has been no response from the Syrian government," an Arab League source in Cairo told AFP after the 11.00am deadline passed.

Turkey said the Arab ultimatum was Syria's "last chance" to heed world calls for an end to its lethal crackdown on anti-regime protests which the UN says has claimed more than 3,500 lives since mid-March.