Syria will take part in December's Arab Games despite the country's suspension from the Arab League, an event official told Reuters on Sunday. 
   
"They will participate and we are welcoming all athletes from the Arab nations," Abdulla al-Mulla, acting director for ceremonies at the 22-country Doha Games said. 
   
"We never mix up politics with sport, so they are most welcome to come to Doha. And the confirmation, we have that in writing from Syria," he added.  
   
Asked if Syria might withdraw from the December 9 to 23 games if the political stand-off between President Bashar al-Assad and his Arab counterparts worsened, Mulla said: "It's their decision, but the doors are always open for all the Arab athletes." 
   
The Arab League was imposing economic and political sanctions on Damascus and had appealed to member states to withdraw their ambassadors, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said on Saturday.  
   
It also called on the Syrian Army to stop killing civilians. Assad has cracked down on protesters against his rule and the UN says more than 3,500 people have been killed in seven months of violence in the country. 
   
Some 6,000 athletes are expected at the Arab Games which will include soccer, swimming, athletics, gymnastics, equestrian events and basketball. – Reuters