EQUIPO NIZKOR |
|
07Jul12
News Analysis: "Friends of Syria" meeting further complicates Syrian crisis
The so-called "Friends of Syria" meeting on Saturday has announced more support to Syria's armed opposition and threatened more sanctions on President Bashar al- Assad's government, minimizing thus the window for a near and peaceful solution and further complicating the landscape of the 16- month unrest, observers said.
The Paris meeting, overwhelmed with some 100 anti-Assad Western and Arab officials, aimed to turn up the heat against the Syrian government and render more support to the opposition on ground, a stance that has been seen by many experts as one-sided and meant not to help solving the Syrian issue.
The attendees renewed calls for Assad to leave power and also focused on pushing for tougher sanctions to force the embattled leader out of office. They also committed to providing communication means for the opposition on the ground and humanitarian aid.
In his opening remarks, French President Francois Hollande said he expected a rapid implementation of the peace plan proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to stop an "unbearable situation" in Syria.
"Today, our meeting here in Paris has set a goal: to encourage the Security Council to take its responsibilities as soon as possible to better support the plan to end the crisis," Hollande said.
"Bashar al-Assad must go. It's in the interest of Syria, of its neighbors and everybody who wants peace in the region," he stressed.
Observers believe that what is going on in Syria is to some extent a proxy war among superpowers. This claim was buoyed by a recent statement made by Annan, who told the Guardian in an interview that Syria will face a spreading civil war unless Russia, the West and Arab states end their "destructive competition" over the country.
"Russia does have influence and can encourage the Syrian government to implement fully the six-point plan and Security Council resolutions. But this task cannot be left to the Russians alone. I expect Iran to play a role. Those governments -- the U.S. and the Friends of Syria -- that have influence with the opposition should also play a role. If they continue with this destructive competition, everyone will lose," Annan told the Guardian.
"They (the West) accuse the Russians of arming the (Syrian) government. The Russians accuse them of arming the opposition and flooding the place with weapons. This is instead of coming together to see what can be done," he said.
Meanwhile, Abdul-Aziz Khair, a leading opposition leader in Syria, told Xinhua that the Paris meeting is "a continuation of the international conflict," pointing out that it would not be conducive in helping the Syrian people.
He said the interest of the Syrian people requires a true understanding and a consensus among the world powers on the Annan peace plan.
Khair counted calls by some the opposition abroad for a foreign intervention in Syria as a "destructive illusion."
Khair's remarks were made as the ex-head of the oppositional Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun, said Friday that had Russia used the veto at the Security Council, the protection of the Syrian people would come from outside the council, hinting unilateral military intervention.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said the Paris meeting is unilateral, politically wrong, and immoral, because these "friends " are relying exclusively on just one part of the opposition.
The ministry's spokesman Alexander Lukashevich stressed that being friends with only a part of the Syrian opposition will just lead to intensifying contradictions and confrontation within Syria and making the stances of the conflicting sides in Syria more extreme, which can only lead to continuing violence and more tragedies.
Observers believe that had those international meetings truly focused on solving the Syrian crisis aside of their unspoken intentions, the 16-month-old crisis would have been already solved.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which have attended all Friends of Syria meetings and emerged as staunch supporters to the opposition and outspoken critics of Assad, have also expressed readiness to offer financial support to the armed opposition members in Syria.
On Thursday, Switzerland froze arms exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after grenades sold to the Gulf states were discovered in the hands of Syrian rebels, in a sign that the Gulf states have already started sending arms to the rebels.
The intractable crisis in Syria has recently careened toward a sectarian conflict between the majority Sunni and the Alawati sect, to which Assad and the ruling elite belong. Such sectarian conflict has been noticeable in the restive provinces of Idlib and Homs, while in the capital, assassinations and killings suggest the same momentum.
[Source: Xinhua, Damascus, 07Jul12]
 | This document has been published on 03Aug12 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |