Ambiguity on Syria

2/11/2016 5:06:38 PM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Outgoing French foreign minister’s criticism of US policy on Syria is just and warranted.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius’s remark questioning the commitment of the US to resolving the crisis in Syria has shone light on an issue our region has been concerned about. That a French foreign minister has been very forthright and critical of the US policy is an acknowledgement of the seriousness of the problem. “I don’t think that the end of Mr Obama’s mandate will push him to act as much as his minister declares [publicly]” Fabius said referring to the US secretary of state John Kerry. “There are words but actions are different and obviously the Iranians and Russians feel that” he said adding the ambiguity in US policy was contributing to the Syrian crisis. The fact that Fabius spoke his mind before bowing out as finance minister after a career spanning more than three decades is an indication of his desperation and angst at the inaction of the West when Syria continues to be the worst humanitarian tragedy of our times.

Syria is sliding inexorably to a point of no-return. The realities on the ground have changed with the entry of Russian forces. The rebels are struggling to hold on to their hard-won gains and are likely to lose if there is no substantial support from its allies abroad. On Syria Vladimir Putin has been more decisive and clear-headed than Barack Obama. The US president has been driven more by a determination not to intervene as his term is coming to an end while Putin has been determined and focused. Obama’s legacy will be tarnished by his record on Syria. He has let Syrians and the people of our region down by refusing to honour his commitments and failing to lead from the front to find a solution to the crisis through the overthrow of President Bashar Al Assad.

Options are narrowing on Syria with the collapse of the UN-sponsored talks in Geneva. The Syrian regime is not keen on talks due to the advances it has made on the ground with the support of Russia. The siege of Aleppo has further emboldened Assad and weakened the opposition. An offensive by forces loyal to Assad supported by Russian air strikes against western-backed rebels has caused hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee rebel-held parts of Aleppo which is the country’s Syria’s largest city.

Current US efforts will not help change the direction of the war in rebels’ favour. In an attempt to prevent a collapse of diplomatic efforts to end the five-year-old war Kerry is now pushing for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid access before a meeting of the International Syria Support Group in Munich this week.

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