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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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15Jun13
Washington tries to prop up Syria's opposition ahead of inevitable peace conference
Syrian analysts have downplayed Washington's recent escalation against the Syrian administration and its decision to arm the rebels in Syria, saying that such escalation aims to prop up the Syrian opposition's stance ahead of the peace conference initially slated for July.
U.S. President Barack Obama agreed Thursday to render weapons to the rebels, under pretext of "Syria's army use of chemical weapons" in its battles against the rebels.
The White House on Thursday concluded in a statement that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons against rebels in a move that signaled deeper U.S. interference in the Syrian conflict.
Syria's Foreign Ministry said Friday that the U.S. report of Damascus forces' use of chemical weapons against rebel fighters is "full of lies."
Local observers slammed the U.S. chemical weapons' talks as aiming to secure a "pressure card" against the Damascus administration by threatening further foreign involvement.
Akram al-Akram, a leading opposition figure and member of the oppositional National Coordination Body, said that the armament issue comes in the framework of practicing more pressure on President Bashar al-Assad's administration ahead of the Geneva conference.
However, he noted that the U.S. move could trigger more violence, killings and destruction in Syria.
Speaking to Xinhua on Saturday, al-Akram reiterated his groups' stance that rejects any form of rendering arms to both the opposition and the government alike and its resolve to pursuit political means to transfer Syria into a democratic and plural system.
"If America supported the rebels with weapons, the government's allies, such as Russia and Iran, would do the same and there would be no victor," he said, calling on all foreign fighters whether fighting alongside the government, such as the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group, or beside the rebels, like the Sunni hardline foreign jihadists, to leave Syria.
Regarding the talks that have been floated recently about Washington's will to impose a no-fly zone on Syria from neighboring Jordan, al-Akram brushed aside the reports as "not on the table."
In Washington, the Obama administration has so far been vague on what exactly it aims to provide to rebels in war-ravaged Syria, and the White House said the president would discuss the issue with European allies at next week's G8 summit in Northern Ireland.
Furthermore, Washington, wary of the unpredictability of potential military involvement in Syria, has been under mounting pressures to take more decisive actions, including imposing a no- fly zone in the Middle East country.
Talks of a no-fly zone have increased as the United States unleashed a military exercise named "Eager Lion" in Jordan, just 120 km from the Jordan-Syria border. The exercise involved F-16s and U.S. Patriot missile batteries that have been shipped near the Syrian border and could remain deployed afterwards.
The 12-day-long war games include 8,000 personnel from 19 countries, including Arabs, and around 4,500 American troops.
Maher Morhej, a moderate opposition figure and head of the local Youth Party, contended that the arms that the United States had brought to Jordan would not be pulled out, at least for the time being.
He, however, told Xinhua that Russia has a total of 10 war ships in the Mediterranean, noting that both superpowers are doing their best to help their allies and project power before the planned conference.
He titled the current events and its developments as the " maneuvers' scenario."
Morhej, however, played down any real significance of the recent moves and said that the Geneva conference would inevitably be held, adding that the United States is trying to help the opposition and salvage the conference especially after the sweeping victories of the Syrian army that has advanced on several fronts, prompting the rebels to cry out for international help to save their very existence.
He mirrored the opinion of many observers that the Syrian army' s victories would embolden the Syrian government to not compromise or to give concessions during the talks with the opposition in Geneva conference.
Media reports said that the conference would initially be convened on July 8, noting, however, that the final date will be defined on June 25 during the tripartite meeting that will combine the UN, Russia and the United States in Geneva.
The conference would bring to the negotiations table representatives of the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition to try to find a peaceful solution to the 27-month-long crisis in Syria and shape out the features of the next stage, including the formation of a transitional government.
[Source: Xinhua, Damascus, 15Jun13]
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