(MENAFN-Khaleej Times) Special adviser to UN Secretary-General on Millennium Development Goals warns any further feeding of the Syrian conflict by outside players could be detrimental for the region
Professor Jeffrey Sachs, one of the world’s pre-eminent authorities on economic development, globalisation and environmental sustainability, has called upon countries to stop the flow of arms into Syria.
“There is an urgent need to reduce extreme conflict in the Middle East. Currently there is a lot of meddling taking place in this region from outside which needs to stop. It is time for the conflict to end and the region to flourish. I think there is a great need to solve the Syrian conflict by ending the violence fast and allowing the healing process to take place,” he said at a plenary session on the final day of the Government Summit on Wednesday.
Prof Sachs, who is also the special adviser to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Millennium Development Goals, warned that any further feeding of the Syrian conflict by outside players could be detrimental for the region on the whole and should be discouraged. “Syria is one of the cradles of human civilisation and is sadly being destroyed badly by the presence of heavy armaments. We shouldn’t feed the violent conflict there. The aim should be to stop the current situation,” he added.
The Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, who was one of the main speakers at the three-day Government Summit, noted that too much flow of arms into Syria is proving disadvantageous. “No power in the Syrian conflict is going to become more dominant militarily compared to the other when all sides are being equipped with arms. We will never reach a solution this way.”
Asked for an opinion about how best to defuse the situation, Prof Sachs proposed shunning the ‘all or nothing’ proposition. “Keep the weapons out and start a political compromise. In Syria, every side is saying that they must win and the other side must lose. Syria is losing in this bargain. I have seen many successful political compromises during my work life in more than 130 countries around the world. I can tell you from experience that you don’t win a battle by being a complete victor in any case.”
Asked about the Arab Spring and its effect on the region, Sachs who has been named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” remarked that he was saddened by the Arab Spring’s failure to bring about sufficient dialogue.
Citing the example of Egypt he said that an unstable Egypt is going to be a threat to the entire region. “It has become a much divided story. No part of the Egyptian society can claim to be the legitimate Egyptian society with differences in social, class and political outlook. The problem arose because each side attempted to take maximum advantage tactically rather than try to find an opening that would bridge the divide in society. All of this turned out badly in the end. The crackdowns that are taking place may reflect an exercise in power but it won’t do anything substantial in terms of healing the society. The country needs stability which only a genuine dialogue can bring about,” he concluded.
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