Another UN Security Council Toothless Syria Resolution in the Making

While marchers all over Syria were marking the 30th anniversary of the Hama massacre in which 40,000 Syrians were killed by the security forces of Bashar al-Assad’s father, the United Nations Security Council was reportedly reviewing a new Syria resolution against the current violence, containing concessions demanded by Russia.

The hope is that if the Council can agree to Russia’s demands, then the resolution will not be vetoed by Russia, and possibly not China.

The key new provision, according to press sources, is that there is no reference to al-Assad leaving his post as president.

But, apparently Russia has not asked for an interruption of the Arab League’s presence or its proposal to facilitate a transition in Syria toward a democratic and pluralist government.

How the two Russian demands can be woven together is not clear.

While the new resolution condemns the violence and killings, there is no mention of ousting al-Assad or of imposing economic sanctions on the country. Russia has confirmed that it will continue the sale of arms to the al-Assad regime and Russia has insisted that the resolution confirm her right to do so.

UN diplomats believe that a compromise is near.

One has to wonder, dear readers, just what such a resolution - containing no sanctions, no condemnation of Russia’s sale of arms to the al-Assad regime, and no demand for al-Assad to step down - would actually do the help the people of Syria.

On the surface, it seems that this new draft resolution is just diplomatic gibberish meant to allow the Security Council to adopt something, simply for the sake of saying that it acted.

Syrians need help, not words - and certainly not a UN Security Council resolution that gives comfort to al-Assad to continue his murderous crackdown.