MAJOR powers agreed on Friday to a pause in combat in Syria, but Russia pressed on with its relentless bombing in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to fight on until he regains full control of the country. Although billed as a potential breakthrough, the “cessation of hostilities” agreement does not take effect for a week, at a time when Assad’s government is poised to win its biggest victory of the war with the backing of Russian air power.
If implemented, the deal hammered out at five hours of late night talks in Munich would allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns. It was described by the countries that took part as a rare diplomatic success in a conflict that has fractured the Middle East, killed at least 250,000 people, made 11 million homeless and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing into Europe. But several Western countries said there was no hope for progress without a halt to the Russian bombing, which has decisively turned the balance of power in favour of Assad.
World powers all say they support a “political transition”, but there has been disagreement for years over whether that requires Assad to leave power, as Western countries have been demanding in vain since 2011. Another week of fighting would give the Damascus government and its allies time to press on with the encirclement of Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city before the war, which they are now on the verge of capturing. They are also close to sealing the Turkish border, lifeline of rebel territory for years.
A pause in fighting in Syria would do little to help the Syrians in the long-term, and provide only temporary relief from the attrition of war. The Syrians have, most unfortunately, become pawns of some of the most powerful states in the region and in the world, who are using one side or the other to further their ideologies. The Western states and their allies like the US and Saudi Arabia support the rebels while the Russians, Iranians and the Lebanese support the Assad government. In the meantime none support ISIS, which is being bombed by everyone – such an intense object of hatred it has become.
It is so hurtful that Russians are using a ruthless killer like Assad protecting him in power to keep Syria under its occupation. So the Western powers cannot ignore the reality of how Syrian people are suffering miseries as refugees in other countries. The country has to be freed from Russian occupation and it is heartless to say Syrian people can solve their problem.
