G8 leaders hold back weapons from rebels in favour of dialogue
Lough Erne (AsiaNews) - At the G8 Summit that ended yesterday in Lough Erne (Ulster), Western countries are showing caution over armed support to Syrian rebels and the creation of a Libya-style No-Fly Zone to stop the war in Syria .
In a seven-point paper that glosses over the fate of Bashar al-Assad, world leaders chose to return to diplomacy, pointing out that a future transitional government must be formed with the mutual consent of all the parties.
This latest attempt by world powers to stop the war in Syria via diplomatic means comes in the wake of the aborted Geneva conference. Set for 10 June, the latter was postponed following an escalation in fighting after Lebanon's Shia paramilitary movement Hizbollah entered the war alongside Assad.
For now, the leaders of the world's major economies have not set any date for peace talks, a delay that could give Assad more time to crush opposition fighters.
The joint statement condemned "in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons" in Syria, but blamed both the regime and the rebels for using them.
The communiqué also called "on the Syrian authorities and opposition at the Geneva Conference jointly to commit to destroying and expelling from Syria all organisations and individuals affiliated to Al Qaeda, and any other non-state actors linked to terrorism."
In the case of abductions for ransom, G8 nations agreed, "to provide mutual assistance to States responding to terrorist kidnaps including, as appropriate and feasible, through information sharing and specialist expertise or assistance, or the provision of resources related to hostage rescue."
They also agreed to provide humanitarian aid worth US$ 1.5 billion.
In Russia's case, the contradictory statements on direct or indirect military action to topple Assad, made by President Barak Obama and later by the leaders of France and Britain, have boosted rather than weakened Moscow's position.
To protect its long-standing economic interests in the region, Moscow has backed diplomacy, portraying itself as the only party interested in peace in Syria.
In a press conference at the end of the summit, Vladimir Putin, accused on several occasions of sending tanks, missiles and helicopters to Assad, said that the shipment of Russian weapons was above board.
Unlike the United States and the European Union, Russia has ties and contracts to respect with Syria. Russia's leader warned again against the risk of supporting the armed rebellion, evoking the danger of Islamic extremists.
Putin's position and his close ties with Assad appears to have worked with the other leaders.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, who backed arming the rebels, urged Assad's allies to stop supporting the war for the sake of Syria. Iran could be among the regime's allies who might take part in fresh peace talks.
The British Prime Minister avoided answering questions on supporting armed rebels, noting however that the Middle East was already full of weapons.
For Cameron, the priority is to help lead the political process. "Nobody wants this conflict, nobody wants to see more weapons, nobody wants to see more death," he said.
For many experts, the British Prime Minister's reversal is due to the brutal murder of a British soldier by two Muslim extremists in central London on 22 May.
As a result of this event, cited by the Russian president, Cameron is afraid that a request for British military action might not make it through the House of Commons.
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11/03/2009
