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Time to move on Syria

By Julie Bishop - posted Friday, 17 February 2012


The conflict in Syria has entered an even more dangerous phase, with the potential for a negotiated peace slipping away.

The warning from a senior Syrian army defector that any collapse of the regime would have serious implications for the entire Middle East and beyond should be heeded.

General Mustafa Ahmad al-Sheikh, currently in Turkey, is reported to have said, "The situation is now very dangerous and threatens to explode across the whole region, like a nuclear reaction."

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Similarly, the Arab League has warned that the regime's use of heavy weapons such as artillery was a serious escalation that could see the country slide into full scale civil war.

These concerns are being borne out by developments in recent days with car bombing attacks in the city of Aleppo targeting security forces and killing 28 people.

There was also the assassination in Damascus of one of the regime's most senior military officers.

At the heart of this conflict are sectarian lines drawn between the 74 percent Sunni majority and the 12 percent Alawites (an offshoot of Shia Islam) who dominate the ranks of the regime.

It is an over-simplification of the situation in Syria to characterise the conflict as being driven solely by sectarian divides, however this is a critical factor within Syria and in the actions of other nations.

The Sunni-dominated government of Turkey has come out strongly in support of the Syrian opposition, while the Shia-dominated government of Iran has continued to provide moral and material support to the Assad regime.

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Similarly, there has been strong condemnation of the Syrian regime from many of the Gulf Sunni monarchies, which regard Iran as a strategic rival.

The Syrian Alawites argue they were oppressed by the Sunni majority for many years, but this cannot be used to justify the ongoing slaughter of innocent, largely unarmed people.

Given the dire situation facing Syria, it is deeply troubling that Syria's Al-Assad regime has "categorically rejected" a resolution of the Arab League which would have allowed for the deployment of a peace-keeping mission to end the cycle of violence in the country.

After voting with China to recently veto a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria, Russia has once again undermined international efforts to put pressure on the regime.

The European Union is reported to have supported the Arab League plan while Russia is reported to have said that peacekeepers should only be deployed after the violence has stopped.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly claimed that the main stumbling block to a ceasefire is the opposition groups in Syria, which he claims are out of control.

While peacekeepers would generally only be deployed after a ceasefire has been brokered, this would arguably be much easier to achieve if there was a united effort to isolate the regime.

This would require Russia and Iran in particular to halt all forms of support and supplies of arms.

The fact the regime fears a ceasefire appears to be indicative of its weakness, in that it fears any lessening of pressure on the Syrian people.

Individual nations can take action beyond that of the Security Council and can apply economic and other sanctions.

The Australian Government has imposed a range of sanctions including a ban on arms sales, financial sanctions, and travel sanctions.

The Coalition supports these actions and urges the Foreign Minister to continue to monitor developments and increase or adapt the sanctions as necessary.

It is important that the international community presents a united face to the regime in condemnation of its actions.

While the UN General Assembly has passed a resolution on Syria, a successful UN Security Council resolution would have indicated the level of resolve in the international community. Regrettably the Assad regime has taken comfort in the Russian and Chinese double veto.

There have been calls for military intervention but that should always be a last resort.

There are other avenues that must be pursued, including negotiating with Russia and China, and continuing to strengthen sanctions.

The key is unrelenting international pressure on the regime until this violence stops.

The stakes are high indeed and that is why Russia and China must act in support of the efforts to end the cycle of violence and allow the Syrian people to peacefully express their desire for greater freedom and a better way of life than possibly be realised under Assad and his cronies.

While the international community continues to put pressure on the regime to halt the cycle of violence, President Assad can put an immediate halt to the bloodshed by ordering his security forces and the Syrian military to stop shooting.

The time has come for Assad to step aside and allow for the formation of an elected civilian government.

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Julie Bishop will be writing regularly for On Line Opinion and her articles will normally appear each Wednesday.



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About the Author

Julie Bishop is the Federal Member for Curtin, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs.

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