A Moral Blindness over the Syrian veto

Russia and China's veto on the UN resolution over Syria at the weekend has been roundly criticized in the West and there are some powerful reactions in the British Press this morning.

Writing in the Guardian,David Hearst says that for Russia and Putin,he says that:

The veto sets Russia on the opposite side of the table from the Arab League; it lifts the international responsibility for failing to staunch the blood flowing in cities like Homs off Barack Obama's shoulders, and assumes that burden itself. And if defecting Syrian soldiers are to be called "armed extremist groups", who exactly are the militias currently running Libya, whom Russia belatedly recognised as a legitimate authority? If Islamists are by their nature extremist, and in Putin's eyes they are, what does that make the elected transitional authority in Tunisia?

Meanwhile the Times' leader this morning calls the decision Moral Blindness

is a monstrous piece of hypocrisy. Both countries acted out of reflexive anti-Western motives. Both were concerned more to protect their interests and their clients than to exercise their global responsibilities for halting violence and maintaining peace. Both spouted inanities about non-interference in domestic affairs while knowingly giving carte blanche to the thugs in Damascus to continue the indiscriminate shelling of cities, the random shooting of civilians and the brutal torture of political opponents

Whilst in the FT,former cabinet minister Malcolm Rifkind and Shashank Joshi write that it is time to support the opposition in Syria

 The diplomatic route is now all but exhausted. Having staked so much on a lost cause, Russia will strive to avoid humiliation. On the other side, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are likely to deepen their co-operation with Turkey to bolster the Free Syrian Army and its notional political leadership. Those who oppose this, invoking the troubling experience of international assistance to the anti-Soviet mujahedeen, must ask themselves whether the status quo is any less likely to result in Syria’s dangerous disintegration.

Syria moves into Lebanon,UN warns of civil war as casualty count tops 3,000

Whilst Dr Fox was resigning,rather worrying developments were taking place in the Middle East where Syria has been sending troops and tanks into Lebanon in a series of operations that it claims are intended to prevent weapons being smuggled to the Syrian opposition.

The incursions are according to the Times, occurring mainly in areas populated by Lebanese Sunnis who broadly support the rebellion against the Alawite-dominated regime of President Assad.

Trouble has been festering between the two for a few weeks with accusations Syria’s embassy’s involvement in recent kidnappings in Lebanon.

Meanwhile a top UN official is warning that the country is heading for full-blown civil war.

Human rights commissioner, Navi Pillay,said in a statement that "The onus is on all members of the international community to take protective action in a collective manner, before the continual ruthless repression and killings drive the country into a full-blown civil war,"

Violence has erupted again in the country over the last few days.At least 12 people were killed yesterday bringing the toll to over 3,000 in the pro democracy crackdown

Our Syrian ambassador blogs

Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for highlighting this brilliant blog from our ambassador out in Syria.

Simon Collis,after being in the post for the last four years decided to blog to mark six months since the unrest and violent suppression began against the rule of President Assad.

He writes maybe to spark some debate about what comes next and what can be done.

The Syrian regime doesn’t want you to know that its security forces and the gangs that support them are killing, arresting and abusing mostly peaceful protesters: The UN says over 2,700 people have died in the last six months, some of them under torture in prison. It doesn’t want you to know that it is preventing many from meeting peacefully to discuss reform. It wants you to hear only one version of the truth – its own. And to see only one way out – the return to authoritarian rule where fear surpasses a desire for freedom. This is a regime that remains determined to control every significant aspect of political life in Syria. It is used to power. And it will do anything to keep it.

Syria attack-the last rites of Bush-Cheney?

What was the United States up to when it attacked Syria.The last gasp of the Bush Cheney administration perhaps?

The American's claim that they were attacking a network of al-Qa'ida-linked foreign fighters moving through Syria into Iraq.The Syrian's claim tyhat it was a farm and that amongst the dead were four children.

The US has claimed for some time that the Syrian border is a porous affair that lets insurgents into Iraq to reek havoc.

The timing seems strange as Syria was looking forward to better relations with America after Presidental elections.with Syria accusing The US of war crimes that seems well off the agenda

The Bush administration seems to be ratcheting up action against Syria during its last days in power. The cross border raid undertaken on Sunday, which killed eight people, seems to fit into a broader pattern of the Bush administration initiating cross boarder attacks into countries that it is not officially at war with. The recent attacks in Northwest Pakistan are a case in point.

according to Joshua Landis Co-director, Center for Middle East Studies
University of Oklahoma

A massive cock up in Riyadh

Peace has once again broken out between Syria and Lebanon after last month's fighting in Beirut between factions loyal to Syria and the Lebanese government.

Therefore when the Lebanese football team turned up at the King Fahd Stadium to play a world cup qualifier,tensions were raised when the Syrian national anthem by mistake.

Fans were left shocked and Lebanese players were visibly angry when the Syrian national anthem began blaring from the stadium’s speakers, the Arriyadiyah sports daily reported yesterday. Officials quickly realized their mistake, and eventually played the correct national anthem. However, the error, which was committed by the organizing officials of the tournament, prompted the President of the Saudi Football Federation, Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, to order an official investigation into the incident.

For the record Lebanon lost 2-1