Syria’s political crisis has reached a turning point when President Bashar Al Assad’s government was voted out of the Arab League (AL) and Syria’s representative in the AL now is the opposition party.
The support and membership the AL has granted to the opposition party in Syria is being described as a dangerous step that will push this Middle East nation further into violence.
On March 26, the Arab League issued a resolution at its summit in the Qatari capital of Doha, recognizing the legitimacy of the Syrian National Council (SNC), which will now represent Syria in the Arab League and its organizations until elections to establish a new Syrian government are held.
The representative of the opposition party addresses the Arab League summit (Photo:ABC)
The resolution gives member states the right to offer the militants fighting against the Syrian government all means of self-defense, including weapons.
The AL urged regional and world organizations to recognize the SNC as the legitimate and sole representative organization of the Syrian people. This decision is a dangerous move reflecting the AL’s support for a military rather than a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The international community has strongly criticized this decision. On March 29, Russia condemned the AL’s decision as an illegal and unacceptable action. The same day, Damascus accused the AL of legitimizing terrorism by granting a seat to the SNC.
Earlier, a public poll by Yougov showed that a majority of American and British people opposed arming the rebels in Syria or sending troops to this country. Forty-five percent of 1,000 Americans polled online opposed and 16 percent supported arming the opposition party in Syria.
In the UK, 57 percent out of 3,600 respondents opposed and 16 percent supported this idea. This is seen as a warning to British Prime Minister David Cameron, who last week joined French President Francois Hollande in calling on the EU to lift weapons sanctions on Syria, paving the way for supplying weapons to the Syrian opposition.
The AL’s decision and the West’s plans for Syria have raised concerns about a repetition of Libya’s scenario in Syria. President Assad is likely to leave office in the near future, but the power transition is still unclear. No one can predict the future of Syria once the current government collapses. Disputes between opposition parties are signs of a lack of unity.
In Istanbul on March 23, the SNC elected Ghassan Hitto provisional Prime Minister to control its occupied regions. This angered some rebels because Hitto is an American citizen born in Syria and supported overseas. Some key politicians in the Syrian opposition party rejected the vote in Istanbul, an attempt by Western countries to control the election and set up their own henchmen in Syria.
The provisional Prime Minister’s intention to use the Syrian Free Army to strengthen his power was strongly criticized by other opposition leaders who said it is unfair for their leader to enjoy peace in Turkey when they have to face war in Syria. The SNC’s role has also been weakened because now they can only help by raising money and providing weapons to their supporters.
The situation in Syria remains deadlocked. On March 27, in a letter to leaders of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), President Assad call for the group’s help in reducing violence in Syria and achieving a diplomatic solution.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has warned the world of the need to save Syria from complete destruction by a civil war that has already lasted for three years. The war has killed more than 70,000 people and left more than 3 million homeless.
VOV5/VOV online
