The empty seat of Syrian delegation is seen during a meeting comprising of Arab league Member states and Turkey to discuss a response to the crackdown in Syria, in Rabat on 16 November 2011. (Photo: AFP - Abdelhak Senna)
The Arab League’s latest decision to give the Syrian regime three days to end its crackdown and allow observers in has drawn new and varying reactions especially from the opposition inside Syria.
Syrian writer and opposition figure Fayez Sara found in these decisions “a good opportunity for the Syrian regime to implement the terms of the Arab initiative, as it might be the last chance for the regime and its supporters.”
Sara went on to say that if the regime remains obstinate and fails to implement the terms of the Arab initiative, then it will surely “drag Syria into a new confrontation with both the Arab League and the international community, a move that would take the crisis to the international level. Things could then escalate quickly and we might face new sanctions by the United Nations under chapter 7 of the UN Charter.”
On the other hand, it is commonly believed among regime loyalists that allowing observers into Syria will help expose what they say is a conspiracy being waged against the Syrian people and regime. They believe the observer mission called for by the Arab League is a tactical move to save face and to hold the regime responsible for any future developments.
Sara disagrees.
“I believe that the initiative is serious and the proof is that it gave the regime several chances to halt violence and implement its terms,” Sara says.
He rejected the accusation that the Arab states are conspiring against Syria.
“[These States] are trying to help both the Syrian people and the regime. Instead of maligning Arab countries and attacking Arab embassies – for which the Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem had to apologize – it would’ve been better to deal positively with the proposals of the Arab initiative.”
Another Syrian opposition figure, Hussein Owaidat, is surprised that after eight months of the uprising, observers from the Arab League have not come to Syria yet.
“The mission of these observers would be restricted to monitoring events on the ground and preventing the abuses and repression committed daily against peaceful demonstrators in all the Syrian provinces and regions,” he said.
This, in his opinion, will allow huge demonstrations to come out and will uncover the presence of armed gangs and criminal activities perpetrated by violent demonstrators that the regime has been talking about.
Owaidat says that “allowing observers in would be the first of many steps outlined in the Arab initiative, such as releasing political prisoners and allowing peaceful demonstrations.”
If the Syrian regime refuses to allow the entry of the observer mission, which is a strong possibility, Owaidat then expects “the Arab League would move very quickly to approve a series of new diplomatic, political, and economic sanctions and seek the help of international organizations concerned with human rights, as indicated by the Arab League secretary general Nabil al-Arabi.”
Owaidat thinks it is unlikely that “we would quickly reach the phase of military intervention as happened in Libya. There are a number of decisions and procedures that would be taken by the Arab League before resorting to the military option, which will only occur if all these steps fail.” He characterized talk about military intervention as mere “speculation and predictions.”
Regarding the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood’s call on Turkey to intervene in Syria, Owaidat said, “The Muslim Brotherhood’s statement did not clarify the nature of this intervention,” pointing out that “the statement was made by the leader of the Brotherhood in Istanbul, Mohammad Riad Shaqfa, who called for Turkish intervention in Syrian affairs to end the acts of violence, without specifying the nature of this intervention.”
“Creating buffer zones inside Syrian territory to protect civilians will be the first step in a process that may lead to a place where nobody wants to go and no one can determine or define,” he warned.
The opposition political movement, Building the Syrian State, which is lead by Louay Hussein, demanded in a statement that the Syrian authorities sign a memorandum of understanding with the Arab League to allow observers into Syria and called on “the Free Syrian Army to stay committed to its declaration and stop all military activities in order to create the right climate for the arrival of the observer mission.”
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
Uprooted Palestinian
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