Syrian Rebels in Aleppo Reject UN Peace Effort
Perhaps understandable but tragic. When all this began in Syria some of us – a clear minority and without any media interest – suggested an arms embargo on all sides and involvement of the UN.
But “Friends of Syria”, hot-headed politicians and media people knew that arming the opposition and never talk with Al-Assad was the only way. We he opposed it were considered ‘naive” and ‘unrealistic’.
Today we see the results: Weapons embold people. Such people believe they can win – somebody else paying the price, but do they care? – and say no to each and every mediated solution.
And, so, the killing, suffering, and displacement of innocent Syrian citizens – squeezed between the ruthless government and the ruthless rebels – will go on.
When will the world norm change and arms traders be put on trial as the war criminals they are – civil as well as governmental arms traders who “weaponize” conflicts so they cannot possibly be solved?
In late 2011, Sheybani, the then Iranian ambassador to Damascus made a stunning speech on Syrian radio, directly telling the Syrian audience that Iran would stand by Assad no matter what, and would aid Damascus with arms, food, oil and money “as long as the Goverment in Syria would need it”.
It was (and is) a major disaster for any hope of peace, as it cemented both parties postition in the Syrian civil war – and undermined the position the former ambassador Mousavi had tried to negotiate. Why the Iranian Goverment decided to “recalibrate” and replace the intelligent and respected Mousavi with the hawk Sheybani, nobody outside Teheran knows, but it escalated the conflict out of hand. Within weeks after that idiocy most Arab nations were forced to chose sides and -as they say – the rest is history.