Arab League resumes observer mission in Syria The Security Council could vote as early as next week on a Western-Arab draft resolution, council diplomats said. A group of Arab monitors planned to visit the troubled Damascus suburb of Irbin, one of them said. It would be their first outing since Friday. The mission had put its activities on hold until Arab foreign ministers met to decide its future. Gulf Arab states have since withdrawn their 55 observers from the 165-strong team, saying they were sure "the bloodshed and killing of innocents would continue." Arab League officials said they would be replaced and work would go on. An Algerian observer in the team heading to Irbin said he was nervous because some opposition groups had said they would not co-operate with the mission. "We don't know what to expect," he told Reuters, declining to be named. Another monitor said he was confused about the purpose of prolonging the mission for another four weeks. The report has been written and the (Arab League) decisions have been taken, so another month to do what? We are not sure," he said. Syrian opposition groups have accused the observer mission, which deployed on Dec. 26, of giving Assad diplomatic cover to pursue a crackdown on protesters and rebels in which more than 5,000 people have been killed since March, by a UN tally. The head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in the northern town of Idlib was shot dead on Wednesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said, in an attack which Damascus blamed on "terrorists." The Arab League has suspended Syria and called for Assad to hand over to his deputy, pending the formation of an unity government, constitutional and security reform, and elections.