Wednesday, January 29, 2014

GENEVA II SUMMIT – AZAD GOVT AND THE REBELS STILL REMAIN ADAMANT

Syria, Ukraine, Thailand, Central African Republic (CAR), all put together, in all these countries the demand for vacating the posts of the Heads of the countries is mounting since a long time.
Once catapulted to power rulers are sitting glued to their seats unmindful of the consequences. These rulers after being assumed power hold the reins of the army by befriending them.
Be that as it may. Let’s come to the Geneva -2 conference under the auspices of United nations, the govt representatives of Syria and the representatives of the rebels who are on a war path demand the abdication of the President who cares two hoots to their demands.
Almost three years have elapsed, since Syria knows no peace with fighting raging on between the army and police loyal to Dr.Azad and the protesters without a cease-fire killing almost 150000 civilians and the displacement of approximately 500000 Syrians who fled the country and pitched tents fearing for their lives.
In the very beginning in order to avert a crisis which could lead to a solution, UN entrusted Dr.Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General as the envoy to mediate between the feuding duo. Annan, from the very day he was entrusted with averting a blood-shed tried his best to bring the two factions who stood their respective grounds finally conceded defeat and resigned the post of UN envoy on a pessimistic note.
After Annan called it a day, UN with the purpose of deescalating violence and deaths of thousands brought in Lakhdar Brahimi as the UN envoy to chalk out a formula to avert the escalating violence in which thousands of civilians and the warring troops of the govt and the rebels laid their lives. Like Annan, Brahimi too jumped into the arena and through tireless efforts sought to bring out a rapport between the warring groups. Brahimi who entered the scene with optimism reflecting on his face tried day in and day out, prepared a formula to end the civil war spreading across the nation found himself on a wrong foot as both sides remained adamant and with a note of pessimism but without losing a tiny spark of optimism went on tour to countries who are supporters of Dr.Azad on the one and supporters of the rebels on the other hand tried in vain as both factions stuck to their respective positions. Still he is very much on the scene and is on an effort, a gigantic effort to chalk out a strategy.
At the very outset, ie when Kofi Annan was entrusted with the responsibility to bring out a solution the nation had not plunged in a civil war.
With the passage of days the fighting turned virulent which claimed more and more lives and still counting. Syria even went to the extent of using chemical agents like sarin, a ruthless action by all counts caused a mayhem in which thousands of civilians lost their lives, a majority of them innocent children, which invited international condemnation, United States and the EU nations collectively decided to declare a war on Syria but for the interference of Russia, the threat of a war avoided.
Syria on the advice of Russia agreed to destroy all chemical weapons under the supervision of United Nations. The representatives of Organisation for Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) came to the fore and destroyed thousands of chemical weapons in the possession of Syria.
With Geneva-1 conference fizzling out, now Geneva-2 conference has commenced on a cautious note and Lakhdar Brahimi succeeded in bringing both fighting factions sit across the table.
When the fight broke out in 2011 rebels comprised only the Syrian citizens but unfortunately the terror elements like Al-Quaida, Al-Nusra et al sneaked into the country from across the borders and have joined hands with the rebels to fight against Azad’s army. The entry of terror elements was looked upon with consternation by the international community b’cause, in the end the possibility of hard-core terror elements and extremists grabbing power from the Syrian opposition in case solution is worked out in Geneva which is only a remote possibility.

Syria is in doldrums and it will continue to be in doldrums, and if and when the governance falls into the hands of Syrian opposition which is in collusion with the terrorists the fate of the country is anybody’s guess. Terrorists always have a propensity to fish in troubled waters and their games continue in other nations as well.          

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