Cloud of uncertainty is hanging large over a widely anticipated peace conference for Syria. According to UN peace envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, the conference dubbed Geneva 2, will probably not take place next month as hoped.
The planned high-level meeting was expected to bring to the fore an acceptable and comprehensive solution to the two-year-old Syrian crisis.
Since the Syrian regime has gained the lost ground by overcoming opposition forces in the strategic town of Qusayr and other important battlegrounds in the recent past, it has strengthened its bargaining power at any forum that discusses the future of Syria.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has pledged to provide military aid to the opposition fighters but it has not yet translated into action. The fighters have been asking for anti-tank and anti-air missiles to fight the regime forces, which have been bolstered by Russian military aid and Hezbollah guerillas.
I fear that the proposed conference is not put on the backburner by the world powers while Syria continues to bleed. The 27-month conflict in Syria, which according to the UN, has already killed more than 93,000 people, is spinning ever more out of control. The war has already taken a huge toll on the country both in terms of loss of human lives and destruction of properties, including vital infrastructure facilities. With the Hezbollah’s involvement in the conflict, the crisis has taken a complete sectarian color.
The situation is turning from bad to worse and threatening peace and stability in the neighboring countries. It is high time the international community took some serious action to put an end to the continuing bloodletting in Syria before more thousands of innocent Syrians fall victims to the war. — Shaukat Naeem Ghumman, Riyadh
