Syria - Progress for the Regime
On the (somewhat) good news front the straitened talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition, sending messages of blame to one another through the intermediary assigned by the United Nations and the Arab League, to force through between them some measure of assurances that the blood-letting, bombing, starvation-sieges will somehow cease, giving hope and relief to the millions of Syrian Sunni refugees, continue. Lakhdar Brahimi brims with hope and studiously asserts the need for the antagonists to arrive at some measure of cooperation.The opposition has submitted a paper outlining its view of the actions to be taken to result in a political transition of the Syrian government. All foreign fighters must (somehow) be expelled from Syria, and a United Nations-monitored ceasefire imposed. For their part, the regime negotiators were not impressed with the opposition's document, even though this time it failed to include reference to the issue of President Al-Assad's presence within the administration of the country's future.
The Syrian deputy foreign minister metaphorically lifted the document by the tips of two fingers, hesitating to make contact with any material sullied by the opposition, to fling it to the furthest distance from respectful contemplation. Dismissed as a "show", the regime representatives refused to give it the dignity of discussion. And so, back to the drawing board which has had its legs knocked out from under with the continued regime bombardment of Syrian civilian enclaves.
Rescue workers carry a body out of the rubble at the scene of a reported air strike attack on the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on February 12, 2104. Hundreds of people have died in several waves of barrel bomb assaults, each lasting several days, since December 15, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Fadi al-Halabi/AFP/Getty Images |
Opposition leaders have expressed their desperation over the incessant barrel-bombing of Aleppo and other civilian centres, to urge Russia to pressure President Assad to put a halt to the Syrian warplanes pounding rebel-held areas, or the peace negotiations, faltering as they are, would be likely to collapse. Quite obviously, the regime negotiators harbour no such concerns.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has announced the deaths of almost five thousand people since January 22 when the first round of talks began in Geneva. This represents the highest death toll since the protests and eventual uprising against the Assad regime, began in March of 2011. The Observatory recommended suspending the talks if an immediate halt to all military operations does not ensue.
Yabroud, the last rebel stronghold in the mountainous Qalamoun region is being pounded by government troops augmented by Hezbollah militias. According to the Observatory, warplanes struck at least ten times during the day on Wednesday. While in Lebanon, additional Syrian refugees are expected to arrive to swell the current numbers seeking shelter from death raining from the skies on their ancestral home.
Trucks heavy with refugees headed to settlements in and around Arsal in Lebanon were turned back when other refugees informed them there was no space for them. Tents were erected in the sprawling fields, children put to sleep in the back of trucks parked on the road. "There was shelling, with planes and tanks since this morning", a refugee who fled from a village near Yabroud who had arrived in Lebanon with his family, said of seeing bodies of people on the way, killed in the shelling.
The regime will hear nothing about ceasing its assaults against Yabroud. It represents the last major stronghold of the rebels, and the crushing offensive to retake the town is vital to the regime's plans. With the able assistance of Hezbollah troops, the government military is certain to take possession of the town, wresting it from the rebels.
And as Hezbollah continues to be involved in Syria, the instability present in Lebanon will also continue to fester.
Labels: Conflict, Hezbollah, Islamists, Lebanon, Negotiations, Refugees, Syria, United Nations
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