Main focus of Monday, July 16, 2012

New UN initiative in Syria conflict

Demonstrators in Damascus - according to reports the worst fighting since the start of the rebellion has rocked the Syrian capital since Sunday.(© SNN/AP/dapd)

The United Nations has upped pressure on Russia and China over the conflict in Syria. So far the two countries have blocked stricter sanctions against Damascus in the Security Council. UN special envoy Kofi Annan travels to Moscow today, Monday, while UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon heads for Beijing. Commentators don't believe Russia will be persuaded to relent and warn of a second Srebrenica.

Putin's cynical strategy on Syria

The UN special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, is visiting Moscow today, Monday, to negotiate a peace plan with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. A meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is planned for Tuesday. This is a pointless mission because the West has nothing to offer Putin in exchange for relaxing his position, writes the liberal daily La Stampa: "As cynical as the Russian position may seem to us, it's clear to the Kremlin that thanks precisely to its 'eccentric stance' on the Syria crisis it has been able to regain influence in the Middle East. Putin is aware that unconditional and indefinite support for Assad is not an option, but he is also aware that the fall of the regime will spell the end of Moscow's influence in the region. This is what makes reaching an agreement with the West so difficult. … But apart from the West's willingness to negotiate with Moscow so as not to humiliate Russia, as was the case with Libya, it can only offer Moscow the choice of either sticking to its position or accepting the loss of its power in a post-Assad Syria." (15/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Crises / War, » Russia, » Global, » Syria
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Who's saying what » Civil war raging in Syria

Srebrenica repeating itself in Syria

The recent massacre in the Syrian village of Tremseh, in which more than 150 people are said to have been killed, is further proof that a second Srebrenica is taking place in Syria, writes the conservative daily Večer: "Before his visit to Slovenia on Thursday, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon promised that the international community would do everything in its power to prevent a repetition of Srebrenica (whose more than 8,000 victims were commemorated a few days ago). But Srebrenica is being repeated in Syria. The UN and its Security Council, in which every serious resolution against the Syrian regime is blocked by a veto from Russia and China, are nothing but ineffectual actors on the international stage. ... The presence of the UN observers in Syria is also increasingly reminiscent of the Balkan War, just as Assad's attitude is ever more reminiscent of that of Slobodan Milošević. As long as no Nato planes were circling over Bosnia and Serbia, Milošević couldn't have cared less about what the world thought, with the exception of Russia. ... If this Balkan scenario repeats itself, Syria is in for years of fighting and thousands of deaths." (16/07/2012)

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Who's saying what » Civil war raging in Syria

Assad system hinders change of power

Assad's system of governing is responsible for the fact that Syria has not been able to follow the example of Tunisia or Egypt, writes the left-liberal daily Libération: "The 'Arab Spring' is still eluding Syria. After sixteen months of rebellion and savage repression with thousands of deaths, Bashar is still in power. Diplomats talk of a Yemen-style solution where the abhorred dictator finally cedes power to his close associates after reaching an agreement with the opposition. But such a scenario seems very unlikely in today's Syria. First of all because of the very nature of the Bashar system, a perverse mix of absolute and clan-based dictatorship, massive corruption and communitarianism in which the Alawite minority controls all the levers of power: the army, the secret service, administration and militias. ... Any political resolution of the conflict continues to escape this country of minorities, where the regime has made clever use of hatred and fear. With his back to the wall, Bashar al-Assad is prepared to sacrifice his country to save his power." (16/07/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Crises / War, » North Africa, » Syria
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Who's saying what » Civil war raging in Syria

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