Hamas leader joins Syrian peace talks Arab league chief, Nabil Elarby, has called on the head of Palestinian group, Hamas, to help with efforts to end violence in Syria. At a meeting with the Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Cairo, he told reporters that, through Meshaal, he has asked Syrian authorities to adhere to the Arab peace plan, which should see tanks pulled out of the cities and the release of political prisoners. "Today I sent a message to the Syrian authorities that it is imperative to work with complete honesty, transparency and credibility to end the violence in Syria.," he said. "The observers on the ground are there to see the uptake of the Arab plan, which has not been fully implemented," Elarby said. Meshaal echoed Elarby's calls for peace, and said he hoped the violence could be stopped through diplomacy: "We believe that, specifically through the Arab plan, we must move from a security solution to a political one that will stop further bloodshed," he said. Syria has been internationally condemned for its violent crackdown on anti-government protesters over the past 10 months. Monitors sent to the country are part of the Arab League's determination to deal with the problem and end the violence. More about: Arab League, Bashar al-Assad, Hamas, Syria