Introduction to the evening news 16-02-2012

All initiatives regarding the Syrian crisis seem to be stuck in a vicious circle.         

At a time when the regime’s military operation was not crowned with success, the political initiatives, the latest being the referendum for a new constitution, are rejected by the opposition both inside and outside Syria. At the Arab and international levels, the League of Arab States’ suggestion to establish a joint U.N.-Arab peacekeeping force was nipped in the bud given the probable Sino-Russian Veto at the U.N. Security Council, the Euro-American reservation to send soldiers and the Arab states’ inability to mobilize the necessary force.         

As for the idea of humanitarian corridors, it is in turn facing diplomatic, realistic and field obstacles; in fact, such a step needs the approval of the concerned state, which seems as something impossible for the Syrian government to do. The corridors also require a military protection that is not available. Before this deadlock, ambitions fell to a bare minimum as France tried to convince Russia of the humanitarian headline.        

Minister Alain Juppe, who met with Minister Lavrov in Vienna, said that both parties can probably agree on a very short-term goal: put an end to massacres and provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. Lavrov’s response was semi-categorical, yet he kept a glimmer of hope as he reiterated his rejection to endorse the French suggestion of establishing humanitarian corridors to help civilians. Lavrov also voiced his support to the call for dialogue.         

The Russian position on the Arab draft resolution that will be put on the table of this evening’s U.N. General Assembly session was not less radical. In fact, Interfax quoted a well-informed Russian source as saying that Moscow called for many amendments to the draft resolution since it will not support an “unbalanced text”. Therefore, there will probably be no progress in the Syrian situation before the “Friends of Syria” meeting that will be held in Tunisia on the 26th of this month.