Arab League observers in Syria have given apparently conflicting accounts of an incident said to have involved government snipers in the restive city of Deraa.

Hazhir Teimourian, veteran commentator on the Middle East, says it was "predictable from the beginning" that the government would want to "control" the mission. He adds that all the independent voices are saying that it is "bringing the Arab League into disrepute".

Nadim Shehadi, associate fellow of Chatham House's Middle East and north Africa programme, believes that declaring failure is the "best option" for the Arab League.

He explains that if the mission fails the next step will be the security council. Going to the security council with the support of the Arab League, he adds, will be a "major step" as it would mean "bringing up the option of military intervention".

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