There seems to be no end to President Assad’s confrontation with Arab world

PanARMENIAN.Net - Although proposing and implementing proposals are two different things, Saudi Arabia is full of determination to overthrow Assad and establish a Sunni government in Syria. Let us recall that Bashar al-Assad belongs to the Alawite branch professing Shi'ism and therefore enjoys the support of Iran. The latest initiative of the Arab League was to form joint peacekeeping forces for Syria. The proposed peacekeeping mission would oversee the aftermath of a cease-fire. Moreover, the Arab League called to officially recognize the Syrian opposition as the actual government of the country. But who exactly from the uncoordinated opposition will be selected by LAS is still unclear. The cells of “Muslim Brothers”, “Al-Qaeda”, the so-called Free Syrian Army or many more groups, which are inevitable in any Arab country?

Meanwhile, Syrian government immediately condemned the initiative. But the League of Arab States, which currently has 22 members, has already set the date of first meeting of the coalition “Friends of Syria”, which includes the Arab States, the United States and European powers committed to the cessation of violence in Syria. This alliance was formed after Russia and China vetoed the draft resolution of the UN Security Council on Assad to step down. The “friends” are to first meet in Tunisia on February 24. Originally the meeting was arranged to take place in Istanbul, but the Arabs decided that Arab countries must come together on their own territory. However, things wouldn’t get done without Turkey. According to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, trying to reach a diplomatic settlement of the situation in Syria, the international community must be ready to accept that diplomacy might not succeed. At a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, he said international community should have a backup plan in case of failure of diplomatic talks in Syria. The backup plan, in all probability, involves introduction of troops into the territory of Syria. But it’s worth noting here that no one, in fact, wants repetition of the Libyan scenario – the world cannot simply bear another Arab country immersing in chaos.

The other day TIME published a conversation with some Syrian oppositionists, who clearly stated that “there would be no second no-fly zone”. The paper also brought out some very interesting views of the opposition about the “Muslims brothers” and “Al Qaeda”, arguing in particular that the above-mentioned groups are not going to back the opposition, but are simply trying to seize power themselves. This is what is currently happening in Egypt, partly in Tunisia, and what may happen to the entire Middle East. It is no accident that Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a video release of February 11, 2012 called on Syrians not to rely on the Arab League or the West in their uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The leader urged Muslims from Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries to render any assistance to their “brothers in Syria”, but this request does not extend to governments of Western and Arab states. “Do not be dependent on the Arab League and on the corrupt officials who support it,” al-Zawahiri addressed to his supporters, adding that Syrians should not trust Turkey. “That country has for years maintained a friendly relationship with the Assad regime. But what happened now? Why did she turn away from him? Do not trust Turkey and the Arab League, only trust your heart and mind,” he said. Yet, information about the involvement of “Al-Qaeda” militants in the Syrian events comes not only from official Damascus, but also from U.S. sources.

But let us revert to the Arab League’s initiative on the peacekeeping mission. Columnist for the Jordan Times notes that the Arab initiative, which means unification of all forces in the struggle to resolve the Syrian problem, has great political significance, but its practical significance is not obvious.

Against the backdrop of anti-Syrian voices, its mite offered also the UN, which suspects the Syrian authorities of crimes against humanity. According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, more than 5,400 people were killed last year. Speaking on the situation in Syria at the plenary session of the General Assembly, Pillay said there are strong indications of ongoing crimes against humanity, and appealed for President Bashar Assad’s government to be referred to the International Criminal Court. But no evidence is yet submitted and therefore the charges of Pillay are still hanging in the air. It's like the weapons of mass destruction of Saddam Hussein. As for the International Court of Justice in the Hague, it can do absolutely nothing. Muammar Gaddafi was also brought to this court, and everyone knows the end. But Bashar al-Assad is not eager at all to share the fate of the head of Libya.