Syrian angst

Voice of sanity appears to be struggling for audience in Syria. The Arab spring has clearly left deathly trails in this Middle-East country so much so that a civil war may not be ruled out. The world community is rightly shocked to see the extent of humanitarian crisis in Syria.

Though the Arab Spring accounted for a near peaceful end to totalitarian rules in Tunisia and Egypt, the massive loss of human lives in Libya should act as a caution for the western world and Arab League apparently seeking a swift regime change in Syria. Regime change through external intervention is clearly not in sync with the spirit of Arab Spring.

Even as leaders of a host of nations gather in Tunisia to find a way out to curb the violence in Syria, their immediate challenge should be win a ceasefire. This should be uppermost in the agenda of the leaders, as reports coming out from Syria clearly tell a sickening tale.

Worse is unabated loss of lives of journalists in Syria, with the popular saying, that you should not shoot the messenger, clearly having no takers. One must commend the valour of journalists who have sneaked into Syria to inform the world of the scale of humanitarian crisis unfolding there. Amidst strict clampdown against foreign journalists, reporters are staking their lives to sneak into Syria from Lebanan and Turkey through local contacts.

The opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria has pegged death toll in Syria at about 9,000 so far. Reports suggest that the besieged city of Homs is witnessing unprecedented violence. The UN officials have, however, said that they are not in a position to update death tolls in Syria. Besides, residents in Homs are stated to be without critical supplies for weeks and are unable to move to other city. It’s said that the Syrian army is shelling the city of Homs and people are starving as well.

Therefore, the International Committee of the Red Cross has rightly sought from authorities and rebels to agree for daily ceasefires so that life-saving aid can reach civilians in hard-hit areas, including Homs. "It should last at least two hours every day, so that ICRC staff and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers have enough time to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded and the sick," quote unquote ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger.

Even as the Arab League wants the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to quit his position, there appears no consensus till date among the western powers on the way ahead. While Morocco wants the rebels in Syria to be armed, which the US has not ruled out as an option, France has called for a NATO led air cover to reach out the humanitarian assistance. The Arab League has already imposed economic sanctions against Syria. However, China and Russia vetoed United Nations resolutions two times which were aimed to end violence in Syria. India has also expressed reservations, while citing example of Libya, that the UN principle of responsibility to protect is being selectively used to promote national interests and bring about regime change in the conflict countries instead of saving civilians.

The US is least likely to get militarily engaged in Syria in an election year, as its extended stay in Iraq had been openly questioned by the people. Iran, which is a firm ally of Assad, has apparently sent two warships in the backyard of Syria in a bid to provide training for Syrian naval forces. Experts assess that Iranian involvement in Syrian crisis could drag in other unwilling nations to back the rebels.

Besides, Russia and China back Assad's own program for reforms, which include plans for a referendum on a new constitution and elections. While Assad says that this should satisfy demands for more democracy, his opponents say the proposals are a sham. Assad’s assertions that the 11-month-old uprising against his rule is limited to the provinces are also not seen credible, as violence is reportedly taking place right in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

It’s worth mentioning that much of the opposition to Assad comes from the Sunni majority, while his support comes from minorities, including his Alawite sect. There is enough credence to the concerns of the neighbouring countries that violence could take on a sectarian slant.

Therefore, the western world and the Arab League need to practice the utmost caution and find a way out for peaceful negotiations for political resolution. The UN chief Ban Ki-moon has rightly said that he was searching for a candidate to name as a humanitarian coordinator for Syria, whose role could evolve into seeking a political solution to the conflict. There should be no second opinion, that the humanitarian support should be first reached out to the people and for that a ceasefire is a must.