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Top of the Agenda: Dim Hopes for Diplomacy as Syria Unravels
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that there was only a "slim chance" of finding a solution (Reuters)
to the crisis in Syria during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in Dublin on
Thursday. While the officials agreed to hold a follow-up meeting in the
coming days, fighting raged in Damascus suburbs and rebels declared on
Friday that the capital's main airport (NYT) was a "fair target," warning travelers to use it at their own risk. NATO decided this week (AFP)
to send U.S., German and Dutch Patriot missiles to the Turkish border,
committing hundreds of U.S. and European troops to Syria's frontier for
the first time since the war began.
Analysis
"It is not just the Russians who dislike Turkey's Syrian policy.
Even Mr Erdogan's pious base is airing doubts. In Ceylanpinar, Ismail
Arslan, the mayor, complains that clashes between the rebels and Mr
Assad's soldiers have turned his town 'into a hell.' Like many he
believes that had Turkey not sided with the rebels, the war would have
been kept away," writes the Economist.
"Putin
has stuck with Assad for almost two years, allying with China to block
action against his regime at the United Nations. And in response to
American battle fatigue, Obama kept his head under the blankets, doling
out just the minimum
in 'non-lethal' aid to the rebels in Syria. Now there are signs that
both the American and Russian leaders may be shifting towards common
ground – Obama seemingly to embrace the rebels; Putin seemingly to
loosen his embrace of Assad," writes Paul McGeough for The Sydney Morning Herald.
"The
challenges here are not just for the US. Russia, which has stood firmly
by Mr Assad, also has a responsibility to ensure the regime does not use WMD.
The Soviet Union supplied Syria with much of its stocks. Moscow today
has good knowledge of their location. Russia has a duty to help prevent
the use of these weapons – a duty that trumps any residual loyalty the
Kremlin may have to Syria's murderous regime," writes a Financial Times editorial.
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