Introduction to the evening news 17-11-2011

Syria is stuck spinning in a spiral of violence and facing a diplomatic deadlock. The international community, Turkey and the Arabs jumped the gun but they could not progress without precautions and prices to pay. The regime that destroyed many bridges cannot back down without losses and risks.     

In fact, the Security Council’s move collided with the Russian and Chinese VETO, and Moscow raised the tone today as Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned of a civil war that may be instigated by the opposition’s behavior. He also pointed out weapons smuggling operations from neighboring countries. At the same time, Lavrov expressed his opposition to the voices calling President Assad to step down as a precondition for talks.     

Lavrov implicitly criticized the Arab League, urging it to demand a halt to violence perpetrated by the opposition. Speaking of the Arab League, the pressure it is exerting will not go beyond some economic sanctions and diplomatic measures taken by a number of states.      

Though diplomats confirmed that Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Morocco and Saudi Arabia have all shown a strong desire to adopt a new international draft law that condemns the Syrian government’s violations of Human Rights, the Arab League’s move will not precede the move of an international community that is standing outside a door held closed by Russia and China.     

The Syrian opposition is facing a test of unity, as French foreign minister Alain Juppe said today from Turkey. Juppe called on the opposition to organize their ranks before demanding any form of recognition.       

As for Turkey, Prime Minister Erdogan voiced his disappointment at the international community, saying that Syria may not be attracting attention as much as Libya because it has not enough oil. Despite the fact that the general observer of the Muslim Brotherhood announced today from Istanbul the acceptance of a Turkish military intervention, this intervention is not on the table.        

The establishment of a buffer zone, at the chore of leaked information circulating for about a week now, is foiled by Turkish and regional complications and calculations.