CFR Update: Syrian President's Speech Stanches Hope for Resolution

Daily News Brief January 7, 2013

Top of the Agenda: Syrian President's Speech Stanches Hope for Resolution

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gave his first public address (NYT) in six months, offering what he called a peace plan that included a new cabinet, a new constitution, and talks with officially tolerated opposition groups. The U.S. State Department condemned the speech (BBC), which ruled out any negotiations with the armed Syrian opposition, calling Assad's plan "detached from reality," while the EU reacted by calling again for his resignation. The Syrian opposition, including rebels on the ground, was quick to reject Assad's proposal, dismissing the address as "empty rhetoric" (al-Jazeera).

Analysis

"This was typical Assad, who last braved a fleeting appearance in November, telling Russian television that he would 'live and die' in Syria. He is desperate to maintain some kind of respectable public face, genuinely believing that he can hold on to power amid overwhelming evidence that almost everybody wants him to go," writes Nabila Ramdani for al-Arabiya.

"The U.S., its European allies and Arab countries opposed to Mr. Assad are split on whether to move more aggressively to help rebels defeat his regime militarily or force both a scale-back in the fighting and then political negotiations, analysts and diplomats say. It is also likely to intensify talks between the U.S. and Russia, which acknowledged last week Mr. Assad was unlikely to willingly concede power, on how to navigate the crisis," writes Nour Malas for the Wall Street Journal.

"Even if Assad does seek to carry out his peace plan, it is hard to believe he is capable of success. He has consistently failed to follow through on his reform efforts, and at times has seemed beholden to the different interests in his government, from the security apparatus to family, who have lacked any enthusiasm for reform," writes Ned Parker for the Los Angeles Times.