The
UN Security Council today met on Syria. One more meeting for nothing. The
humanitarian situation in the Idlib Province is desperate for around 900,000
people, many of them children. That was one of the reasons for the meeting. The
other is that a growing military offensive is under way. The leadership in
Damascus is convinced that they can win and retake the province. For Assad, there
is only one solution to the rebellion, a military one. His allies, the Russians,
share the same view. And that is what is being implemented.
The
Council could have adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire. It did not
happen. The Russians have opposed it. The only thing the Council did was to
recall the peace process it had approved four years ago, in December 2015, and
insist on its implementation. That’s a ridiculous approach. Today’s situation
is very different from the one in 2015. For instance, now there is a heavy
involvement of Turkey in this corner of Syria. There is a serious risk of clashes,
even confrontation, between the two sides. That means, there is an enormous
potential for escalation. That and the humanitarian crisis are the two
dimensions that require immediate attention.
But
the UN Security Council is too divided. The bet must be placed in another
forum.
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