Russia Opposes UN Sanctions on Syria, 120 Killed in Homs, Hama

Free Syrian Army Leader

The Syrian regime was reported to have killed at least 120 people in two days in the central cities of Homs and Hama as the European and Arab nations demand the United Nations to ask Bashar al-Assad to step down and leave. The head of the Arab League mission in Syria, embattled general al-Dabi, said that the attacks intensified on Homs on Friday and that the protest reached for the first time Aleppo, the Syrian largest city, after it hit the outskirts of the capital earlier this week.

On Friday, Morocco presented the United Nations Security Council with a new resolution co-sponsored by the European nations such as Germany, France and Britain as well as by Arab states.

The text of the resolution demanded that the UN end the 11 months of continuous crackdown on the population of Syria, which is said to have claimed the lives of 5,400 people so far.

Russia opposed again the proposition, saying that all the “red lines” have been crosses with this resolution. Russia reiterated that it did not want any kind of sanction on Syria, nor did it support any regime change or arms embargo.

The German ambassador said that the resolution may open a new chapter in the history of Syria, and that if the resolution is agreed upon, it could mean that the United Nations throws its entire support to the Arab League’s plan presented on Monday, which was demanding Assad to hand over power to a deputy, to appoint a new caretaker government until snap elections can be called at the earliest convenience.

Syria has rejected the proposition, considering it an interference into national affairs, and blamed the international conspiracy against Syria for the fact that the Arab nations are being pressed to come up with such ideas.

Russia and China have been supporters of Syrian regime since the beginning, as they have long term relations and business opportunities. Russia delivered a $550 million contract in warplanes to Syria, a contract which Moscow explained it would not change the military balance because the warplane are merely training desks.

Russia is about to negotiate with the co-sponsors of the resolution the proposition they made that the sanctions imposed by the Arab League in November against Syria, namely the embargo on economic deals with the restive country, to become officially supported by the United Nations, but not mandatory. The negotiations are expected to get under way on Monday and are not supposed to be easy.

People protested on Friday in front of the Syrian embassy in Cairo, where the headquarters of the Arab League is. The people broke into the building, which was empty at that hour because of the Muslim weekend.

Reports from the field voiced by BBC say that the Free Syrian Army, the troops of the defectors from the governmental army, is now entrenched in the suburbs of the capital Damascus. Some say that the outburst of violence in the city which has been known as one where pro-Assad rallies were scheduled was caused by the attempt made by the Free Syrian Army to enter the capital and reach the presidential palace.

It is said that even so, convincing Assad to step down will be difficult, since he still enjoys the support of his Allawite people, of the Christian, Druze and Kurds, which could come to some 40% of the population, according to some estimates.

The Allawite support him because he is one of them, while the others because he is said to have protected minorities in the country in a way no one in the Sunni Muslim majority or the army would.

Even so, reports are saying that the Free Syrian Army is approaching the Damascus palace where the president lives, in a scenario that echoes the one in Libya, where a rebel army toppled the 43-year-long dictatorship.

As the country is slipping into what seems to be a civil war, questions are now whether the president is ready to face a coup staged by the FSA or to resist much longer to the pressure the people is applying.

Voices raise in defense of the idea of an international intervention, in spite of the promise made by Bashar al-Assad to resist any such attempt. The French foreign minister last year proposed that a humanitarian corridor be established in Syria, in order for the people of the centre cities to be attended.

Turkey has planned to create a buffer zone along the 900 km common border, and then to partake in a military operation against the regime. The Qatari foreign minister was the last one to have demanded that a no-fly zone be established over the territory of Syria, a wish the opposition in Syria had voiced a long time ago.

The Western countries do not favor a direct intervention into Syria, especially after the intervention in Libya drew so much criticism from Russia and China.