It is one more time a waste of more time. The U.N. Security Council which has been expressing rage and anger since April, last year, now granted the Syrian regime the free hand for three more months until next August. By the end of summer, the 300 international observers should sum up their reports to the Security Council. They will write what everyone knows: that the army is using violence, shooting at protesters and shelling civilian areas. Some of the observers would probably refer to the presence of armed groups in some neighborhoods where they have to defend themselves.
The SC will not vote on reports filed by the U.N. observers before autumn. Discussion then would probably debate whether Assad’s regime is practicing violence or fighting terrorists when we know it is doing cleansing when targeting certain towns. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, few days ago, alerted the world to the cleansing in the city of Homs, by emptying the city from its inhabitants. Populated neighborhoods, such as Baba Amro, al-Khaldeya and al-Bayyada are heavily targeted. Those areas have been bombed ferociously since the ceasefire was announced early April.
The tragedy is beyond description, not only the government forces bombard neighborhoods, but also they go after civilians on their attempts to flee. It happens on the borders with Turkey and Lebanon, as well. Few days ago, the Syrian troops chased refugees who were fleeing Deraa, in the south. They went after them for hundreds of meters after they crossed the military road on foot, on their way to the Jordanian borders. The 200 refugees were mostly families. Only 56 people were able to cross the borders and reach a refugee camp, while the rest were chased by the Syrian troops back to Syria, and around 35 of them were arrested by security police.
How could this tragic situation be resolved in New York? Now, the U.N. grants the Syrian regime a period of three months to prove its good behavior without saying what would happen afterwards. All we know is that meetings of the Security Council will be held possibly in September to discuss the findings of the international observers, then what? The best scenario possible is that there will be a voting on a resolution against the Syrian regime; however, the result is well-known to everyone, the Russian will veto it. This would mark the end of the observers’ trip to Syria.
Let’s be realistic, the situation could not be left as it is while awaiting a political solution promoted by the Arab League secretary general, allegedly because the world powers do not want any military intervention in Syria. He is wrong in his attitude and one day people will not forgive what he did or didn't do to stop the massacre. What is happening now is a group of countries trying to save the Syrian regime, including Russia and Iran. So far, they failed to stop the Syrian revolution, people are still going to the streets everyday, although they provided Assad with money, ammunition, men, time and publicity. These countries succeeded in only one thing; namely shedding more blood. The Syrians will never cope with Assad and his family's regime, and meanwhile, Assad will never accept to give up power. Therefore, there won’t be any kind of political settlement, contrary to what has been predicted by the Arab League secretary general.
The only solution – that hasn’t been adopted – is to allow and facilitate the Syrian people to defend themselves, because it is the only way to stand against the unchallenged ferocious Syrian killing machine. It is also the only means that will force Russia and the rest to give up their man in Damascus.
The writer is the General Manager of Al Arabiya. The article was published in the London-based Asharq al-Awsat on April 23, 2012 and translated from Arabic by Abeer Tayel
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