An Arab League ministerial committee handed down a travel ban on 19 Syrian officials to Arab states and has presented an ultimatum to Damascus to accept observers to monitor the unrest in the country.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, the Qatari prime minister, announced the new deadline for Syria to avoid sanctions after a meeting in Doha to discuss the measures decided against Damascus over its crackdown on eight months of protests.

During the meeting we contacted Damascus... and we asked them to come tomorrow (to Doha) to sign" the protocol on sending observers to Damascus, said Jassim al Thani.

Al Jazeera's Khadija Magardie reports.