"Hit With An Iron Fist"
So far the Arab League still plans to prove to the world that they're more than capable of intervening in Middle East affairs when one state has been embarrassing the others by its savagery. Their manoeuvres, meant to preclude the potential of United Nations' intervention, inevitably calling upon NATO member-countries to become involved to halt bloodshed, has been spectacularly ineffective.In fact, since the deployment of the Arab League monitors into Syria at the reluctant agreement of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, all indications are not only that the observers have witnessed nothing of impressive disorder, while the regime goes about killing even more civilians at a more accelerated rate. Satisfying some among the observers, enraging a few others.
Even while the Syrian military does double-duty in escorting Arab League monitors, they have been heavily engaged in swiping up the opposition. As insouciant murder central goes, that's fairly amazing. Protesters in Syrian cities are apoplectic with fury and amazement that their danger is not recognized by observers who seem to avert their gaze from snipers and tanks.
It's quite possible that they choose to believe the lectures of President Assad, who delights in describing the protesters as creatures of 'foreign agents', or alternately, undercover terrorists whom his regime must - to protect the good people of Syria from harm - detain, arrest, torture and murder. If the military sharpshooters don't get to them first.
Mr. al-Assad pledges himself to the "absolute priority" of tackling those terrorists with an "iron fist". The Syrian civilians who have become terrorists by insisting that they have a right to live free and unafraid of the oppressive techniques of a regime that has kept them firmly incapable of expressing themselves and exercising their human rights, continue their protests despite clear and present danger.
And while President al-Assad signed a commitment to the Arab League to end the violence, withdraw heavy military weapons and tanks from city centres, to admit journalists to the country to witness for themselves and report on what is occurring, and free political prisoners as agreed, leading to a political dialogue with the opposition, there is no obvious intention to do so.
The Arab League observers have become President Assad's fig leaf. He has permitted them entry, given them the opportunity to be ushered about where the military feels most comfortable for them to be located, and with the aid and connivance of the Sudanese head of the observers, it becomes obvious that the atrocities that the opposition claims have been occurring, simply have not.
Turkey, closer to the situation, and concerned about its own border with Syria, and the numbers of refugees it has taken in, would prefer President al-Assad to step aside and the opposition form a working government. And the head of the Syrian opposition, a safe guest in Istanbul, again urges the Arab League to call upon the Security Council for help.
The Arab League chief has himself challenged President al-Assad, deploring an attack on Arab League observers. Syria's Alawite minority have reasons for concern; the regime representing their interests may fall, leaving them at the mercy of the Sunni majority. Where the Sunni opposition have taken refuge in Turkey, the Alawite Shia may seek refuge in the Golan Heights.
Israel to offer refuge to Syrian refugees?
Labels: Arab League, Conflict, Syria, United Nations
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, January 11, 2012
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