Diminishing hopes

3/30/2016 5:06:50 PM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) As Bashar Al Assad expands his gains Western and Arab countries are forced to watch helplessly.

Time has come for the international community to act fast on Syria because President Bashar Al Assad is moving adamantly towards the final solution he wants – which is to keep himself in power forever. In an act of defiance he said yesterday that Syrian army’s successes will help accelerate a political settlement to the country’s civil war. He is foreseeing the complete defeat of rebels and an end to the support they are receiving from abroad. A continuation in power by Assad after the massacre of hundreds of thousands of people under him will be something unprecedented in history and can earn him a position among the great dictators of the world who have been accused of genocide.

Assad made his intentions clear in an interview with Russia’s RIA news agency. He said his victories will have an impact on the forces and nations which are supporting the opposition and who demand his ouster and even said his government would “continue to be flexible” in its approach to talks aimed at ending the war -- a clear statement of the upper hand he has gained in the war.

Western and Arab countries which have been demanding that Assad must resign to pave the way for a solution to the conflict now have little time to formulate a strategy. What is needed a clear plan of action which is easier said than done and time is running out. If Assad continues his victories he will be able to capture all of Syria and install himself in power forever.

The capture of Palmyra has emboldened Assad. Government forces backed by intense Russian air power drove Islamic State militants out of Palmyra delivering one of the biggest setbacks

to the jihadist group since it declared a caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2014. Government forces are now feeling confident and Russia is always there to provide the necessary support despite Moscow’s announcement that it is withdrawing its troops from Syria.

Peace talks too are unlikely to give any solution as Assad will be unwilling to cede ground. Indirect peace talks at the United Nations in Geneva adjourned on Thursday after making little progress. Its only positive fallout was the ceasefire sponsored by the United States and Russia which took effect last month. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura says he wants the negotiations to address political transition which he called the “mother of all issues”. But before the talks started the Syrian government said the issue of the presidency was a red line. This shows the talks will end in a stalemate and progress will be extremely difficult.

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