Syrian Ceasefire in Tatters

The Syrian ceasefire is in tatters. More than 120 people, mostly civilians killed by al-Assad forces, have died since it went into effect.
The Syrian regime is not cooperating with the UN either to put the UN monitors in place, especially in Homs - the center of the opposition and of al-Assad's murderous attacks, or to stop bombing civilian targets in Syrian cities where the opposition has its strongholds.
The opposition accuses the regime of bombarding civilian neighborhoods, killing civilians, making unlawful arrests and continuing the repressive presence of tanks in opposition stronghold cities.
Western and Arab diplomats met with French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé in Paris on Thursday, trying to find a solution to the crisis. Juppé noted that only the opposition is complying with the ceasefire while the al-Assad forces “are pursuing their repression without shame.”
US UN Ambassador Susan Rice said that sending the rest of the UN monitors into Syria would be pointless until the al-Assad regime permits those already in Damascus to do their work properly. UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-moon agreed, calling on Syria to comply with the ceasefire protocol.
Meanwhile, the opposition has changed its stand about foreign intervention. General Moustapha Ahmed Al-Cheikh, head of the opposition military (the Free Syria Army) called Thursday for the countries that make up the Friends of Syria to begin surgical bombardments against al-Assad force installations, saying this needs to be done rapidly.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that tougher sanctions need to be imposed, including an arms embargo, to bring the al-Assad regime to the bargaining table.
Clinton also noted that Turkey is considering invoking the NATO Charter to call on its NATO allies to come to its aid in the matter of the continuing Syrian bombardments across the border into Turkey.
It appears that, finally, the Syria question is now front and center on international diplomatic and UN agendas.
Let us hope for the best outcome, one that stops the killing of civilians, more than 11,000 in the past 13 months, and that brings al-Assad and his cronies to the International Criminal Court. We have passed the time when negotiation or lenience with al-Assad is possible.