The Latest Bluff of President Bashar Al-Assad in Syria
The international community’s latest attempt to stop President Bashar al-Assad’s reign of terror in Syria is failing. Instead of abiding by a commitment to a cease-fire negotiated with the United Nations, he has kept his killing machine rolling, raising the death toll to an estimated 9,000 Syrians in the year since the start of the uprising.
The events of the past few days should compel the United Nations Security Council to take tough and unified action against Mr. Assad and his forces. That means that Russia and China, which previously vetoed substantive council resolutions, must stop protecting his brutal regime.
Two weeks ago, Kofi Annan, a joint special envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League, said Mr. Assad had accepted a proposal to withdraw troops from Syrian cities by Tuesday and halt the fighting within 48 hours after that. Still, fierce fighting was reported in recent days, with no sign of any pullback. On Sunday, Mr. Assad added a new condition, demanding written guarantees that rebel forces would lay down their arms before his forces would withdraw. Then, on Monday, Syrian troops opened fire across the border, killing two Syrian refugees and wounding at least 23 other people near one of the largest Syrian refugee camps in Turkey — a dangerous and despicable escalation.
There was always good reason to be skeptical of the Annan proposal, since Mr. Assad long ago chose the path of brutal violence. Nonetheless, the cease-fire plan was endorsed by the United States and other Security Council members because it could win support from Russia and China, which have blocked any significant condemnation of the Assad regime or sanctions.
Russia has been somewhat more critical of Mr. Assad in recent weeks, but it has done little to exert its influence while Syrians continue to be slaughtered. Russian officials have invited the Syrian foreign minister to Moscow for discussions this week, and the Syrian opposition next week, but it’s doubtful those meetings will produce an end to the killing.