No sign of let-up as Syrian regime continues assault

The language is getting stronger but the body count continues to rise unabated as the international community looks for ways to end the bloodshed in Syria, where the relentless crackdown on democracy protestors by the regime of President Bashir al-Assad shows no sign of slowing down.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that al-Assad can now be classified as a war criminal. The statement came as the United Nations announced that more than 7,500 civilians have so far been killed since the start of the revolt. “There would be an argument to be made that he would fit into that category,” Clinton told a US Senate committee hearing on Tuesday.

Besides the United States, France is pushing through a resolution against the regime in the UN Security Council. But if the recent past is any indication, that resolution is likely to be vetoed by China and Russia. How to get these two countries on board the effort to oust the Syrian regime, needless to say, remains a great challenge. 

“There are credible reports that the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including many women and children,” the UN undersecretary-general for political affairs, Lynn Pascoe, told the Security Council. “The total killed so far is certainly well over 7,500 people.”

Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution on February 4 that would have backed an Arab League call for Assad to step down.

Indeed, the world’s dismay has been growing over the relentless bloodshed in Syria. Praise should go to the local Syrian activists and international reporters – in the city of Homs, in particular – who risk their lives to bring out news of the living conditions of local residents who are besieged by government attacks that don’t seem to discriminate between rebel combatants and civilians. Recently, a wounded British photographer managed to escape from Homs, but the fate of French reporter Edith Bouvier is still not clear.

Much hope is pinned on former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, now the UN-Arab League envoy on Syria. It is hoped that Annan can bring his persuasive powers to bear on Russia and China.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has been delivering food and aid to besieged cities and has called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” to improve access. Sadly, the call has fallen on deaf ears as Assad pushes through a new constitution that will have no impact whatsoever in curbing the ongoing violent attacks against civilians. 

The Syrian regime is trying hard to portray itself as the victim, but the reality on the ground speaks differently. Damascus has also accused the West of trying to seek a geopolitical advantage. 

“The West took advantage of the awakening of the Syrian street. Instead of helping Syria to overcome this painful crisis, they are using this to hit the stability of Syria for other geopolitical reasons,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told the Associated Press.

But while regime change in Syria would definitely weaken Iran’s hand in the region, there is no justification in destroying the livelihood of innocent civilians.

The situation has reached such a low point that even the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, which is backed by Syria, has decided it is time to pack up and leave. 

“[We] are not with the regime in its security solution, and we respect the will of the people,” Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, told the AP from Cairo. But none of this appears to have registered with Assad. At least he is not showing any signs of bowing to mounting international pressure to step down.

There have been suggestions that the Syrian opposition should be armed from outside. But supporters of such an idea should prepare themselves for a possible civil war, and the inevitable massive rise in the death toll on both sides of the political divide. 

There are no easy answers and no easy options. But for starters, the international community must move forward as one and place the interests of the ordinary Syrian people at the top of the agenda.