Time to move on Syria

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.