With the ongoing violence engulfing Syria and President Bashar al-Assad still in office, the question begin to stir for what does it take for America to intervene to stop the violence?
In interview with with Cynthia McFadden of ABC, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the US has been very actively involved in Syrian crisis.
“Until recently there was no credible opposition coalition, and I cannot stress strongly enough how important that is.” – Ms. Clinton
She explains one cannot even attempt a political solution if one don’t have a recognized force to counter the Assad regime.
“It took them off the hook. It gave the Russians and others who are still either supporting them or on the fence the ability to say, well, there’s no opposition.” – Ms. Clinton
The US worked very hard to help stand up such an opposition, she added.
However, Ms. Clinton point out that the use of chemical weapons, President Obama has said, is a redline.
She further notes that if one look at the Administration’s effort on the political front, on the UN front where US still believes that it needs to get Security Council action, on the humanitarian front, the President just announced more than $100 million more in humanitarian aid, the US has been very productive players in trying to deal with an extremely complex problem.
Would the U.S. actually permit President Assad to use chemical weapons?
According to Ms. Clinton, President Obama has been very clear about not allowing President Assad to use chemical weapons.
“And I think it’s also important to look at this conflict which, yes, has horrifically developed and cost the lives of so many thousands of Syrians.” – Ms. Clinton
She says in all of her discussions with many of the countries in the region and beyond, everyone is facing the same dilemma.
She adds it is very hard to train and equip opposition fighters.
It is very hard to know who is going to emerge from this, and making the wrong bet could have very severe consequences, she added.
Ms. Clinton cites that there are certain positions and actions the US has taken, and it also laid down the redline on chemical weapons because that could have far-reaching effects beyond even the street-to-street fighting that is so terrible to watch ans it could also affect other countries.
Is Assad Clinging to Power?
Earlier this month, as Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad recently delivered a speech to his supporters in Damascus on Sunday, the United States of America said al-Assad’s speech is yet another attempt by the regime to cling to power and it does nothing to advance the Syrian people’s goal of a political transition.
In her remarks in Washington DC, Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said Assad’s initiative is detached from reality, undermines the efforts of Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi, and would only allow the regime to further perpetuate its bloody oppression of the Syrian people.
As Assad spoke of dialogue, the regime is deliberately stoking sectarian tensions and continuing to kill its own people by attacking Sunni towns and villages in the mixed areas of Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkmen in Lattakia province.
Assad has lost all legitimacy and must step aside to enable a political solution and a democratic transition that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people, Ms. Nuland has said.
The United States continues to support the Geneva Action Group’s framework for a political solution, which was endorsed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Arab League, and the UN General Assembly.
Reports say Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday outlined a new peace initiative that included a national reconciliation conference and a new constitution in a rare speech about the uprising against his regime.
Some of his foes slammed his speech with criticism.
According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Navi Pillay, thousands have been killed, thousands more injured in the Middle East country due to violence and unrest.
More than 2.5 million people across the Middle Eastern country are affected by the violence.
In June 2012, with growing influx of civilians fleeing from conflict, UN reported that humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate.
Reports say up to 1.5 million Syrians are in need of assistance.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that civilians attempting to flee from fighting need urgent assistance and protection.
OCHA reported that aid agencies continue to face significant access constraints to reaching people in need.
UN estimates that there are over 1 million Syrians inside Syria in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Of that number, it’s an estimated 300,000 internally displaced.
There are over 66,000 refugees in neighboring countries and there are existing refugees, Palestinian refugees, totaling about 500,000 inside Syria as well as a hundred thousand Iraqi refugees inside Syria.
The ongoing conflict in Syria has created a severe and growing humanitarian crisis, and the humanitarian organizations currently operating in Syria are tirelessly working to get aid out as quickly as possible into areas where safety and security are questionable.
The violence in Syria, which began in March 2011 as a protest movement similar to those witnessed across the Middle East and North Africa, has claimed over 60, 000 lives, mostly civilians, and displaced tens of thousands.
