Main focus of Thursday, May 31, 2012

Russia shields Syria

Putin must explain his Syria strategy in Paris and Berlin on Friday. (© AP/dapd)

Russia and China continue to block new sanctions against Syria in the UN Security Council, while French President François Hollande has spoken out in favour of military intervention. Europe will have to gain Putin's support if it wants to find a solution to the conflict, be it diplomatic or military, commentators write.

Hollande must win over Putin

Russian President Putin is a key figure for the French President because with Moscow's consent François Hollande could bring about a change of regime in Damascus, the conservative daily Le Figaro writes: "The French President's intention is to 'convince' his Russian counterpart that he would do well to drop an ally with no future so as to preserve his own interests in Syria. But others have tried and failed before him. The strong man in the Kremlin is a tough customer. ... He believes that the West is taking advantage of the Arab revolts to dislodge Russia from the Mediterranean. But he's also a pragmatist who knows how far he can go. Will François Holland find suitable arguments to set in motion a change of regime in Syria with Moscow's support even before Putin and Obama meet at the G20 Summit in June? Getting Putin to bend on the issue is a tall order. It would be an incredible start for the foreign policy of this new French president." (30/05/2012)

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Hollande's initiative naive and calculating

Now that French Presient François Hollande no longer rules out the option of military intervention in Syria, the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung defends Germany's more cautious foreign policy and writes that the president is "naïve if he seriously believes he can bring Putin to relent. Calculating, because all he cares about is the fleeting impact this could have ahead of the French parliamentary elections. … It would be unfair to accuse the German government of passivity. In the UN Security Council Germany is among those states that for a year now have been trying to break through the wall China and Russia have erected to protect the Syrian regime. … This stance is the result of the sense of horror of a nation that in recent years found itself in the role of a warring party first in the Balkans and then in Afghanistan and didn't recognise itself in this role. … But which circumstances would bring it to give up [its military reserve] remain a German secret." (31/05/2012)

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Military must protect civilian population

After the massacre in Houla and news of further victims in Syria the conservative daily Berlingske hopes Russia and China will relent, and calls for military intervention to protect the civilian population: "One can only hope that Russia and China come to their senses. Protection zones must be set up for refugees within Syria. And food and medical supplies must be provided in places that are suffering the consequences of the incipient civil war. That can only be done with a military intervention. Ensuring that the Syrians are protected from further attacks in secure zones is the very least that should be done. This is nothing more than protecting the civilian population. But for the Russians, even that seems to be too much to swallow." (31/05/2012)

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Intervention out of the question

Military intervention in Syria remains out of the question even after the statement by François Hollande and despite the fact that international pressure has had no effect on the country so far, the liberal daily Helsingin Sanomat writes. "Military measures are still not an option, even if French President François Hollande did say on Tuesday that he was giving the matter some thought. The expulsion of Syrian diplomats from many countries is a fitting reaction to the massacre, but it doesn't solve a thing. The first step must be to convince Russia to withdraw its support for al-Assad. China will hardly resist new sanctions against Syria in the UN Security Council on its own. Syria's plight is neither the fault of Kofi Annan nor that of the peace plan that bears his name. Nevertheless the West must be ready to give up the peace plan if it proves ineffective and only serves to enable Russia to keep face in Syria while the blood bath continues." (31/05/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Crises / War, » Russia, » Global, » China, » Syria
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