Finally it happened. I can’t even tell how long the Syrian expats community in Germany demanded the political step to send the ambassador of Syria home declaring him as persona non grata. A rally announced in the capital Berlin on July 7 had exactly that topic but has now to imply newly formulated requests. A plan B, so to say. Exactly that one Ban Ki-moon addressed recently doesn’t exist in the case of Kofi Annans six-points-plan.
After the barbaric murdering of some dozens children in the city of Al Houleh the world has to admit the failure of the diplomatically demands which were not even perceived as suggestions. The regime simply ignored the basic recommendations continuing to crackdown the uprising for regaining freedom and dignity – the origin demand of the revolt. The Free Syrian Army, a joint venture of defectors being busy with the protection of civilians by creating at least temporary buffer zones, are defamed as aggressors while the change on the top of the Syrian National Congress, normally seen as a progression during the democratic process, is regarded as a sign of chaos. The call for help the Syrians addressed to the Western and the United Nations caused not the wished effect and has left a bitter taste of resignation instead.
For a long time a felt stalemate on the political-diplomatically side lasted. Economical sanctions were perceived as effectless. The ‘drying-out’ measures, ways to cut off the money flow for the regime, makes in the meantime an impact on the Syrian state apparatus; it’s not so easy for them to get cash any longer.
The positions seemed cemented after the decision to send together with Kofi Annan a sticky growing number of blue Helmets: the global coalition of the willing whose members are permanently hesitating to take action with the election campaign shaken United States on the one side and the Assad regime together with its allies who voted this spring against a tightening of the resolution in the UN security council with Russia and China as leading backers on the other.
The tide of expelling the Syrian envoys that (not) least reached Switzerland on Tuesday will cause huge relief among the Syrians living in the acting nations and protesting publicly in solidarity with their freedom struggling fellows inside Syria. Often enough participants of anti-regime protests in European countries described sometimes sinister, sometimes apathetic looking men taking photos of the protesters. Preferredly close-ups from their faces to identify them later, to contact them warning them taking further action in public and better thinking about their family members in Syria and especially their health state.
Those flowery described threats were outspoken by embassy members under the lead of the ambassador, in all cases loyal cronies of the Assad regime. And in the same way Assad ignored until now each single peace broker plan the envoys ignored the company rules of the democratically orientated nations trying to suppress freedom of speech outside of Syria.
That doesn’t work. And it’s logical and mandatory to answer those violations of domestic law with the expulsion of the diplomatically responsible ones. But the Western nations apparently needed another reason to act with this closeness and that was tragically the massacre of Al Houleh.
Tragically because the Syrian regime continuously increased the atrocities against civilians coram publico, clearly visible for the world community’s eyes. Crimes like those might have been prevented with earlier taken actions but the focus has to shift to the insight that the time is now to prevent another, potentially bloodier inhuman atrocity affecting a lot of more victims.
It might appear hard-boiled but not only the revolutionary Syrians, also their companions are meanwhile inwardly prepared for that. The regime actions are both randomly and uncontrollable. Besides the surprising consequent step the Western nations took as quickly as possible new effective ways have to be worked out to stop the bloodshed, to let humanitarian aid come in and to move the regime to a withdrawal. And that will only work with the cooperation of Russia. A good opportunity for the European Union to take the initiative towards Moscow to develop a common strategy to help the struggling Syrians. At the latest when the last ambassador has left the territory of the EU.
The article was also published at wespeaknews.com on May 30, 2012 under the title 'Western nations expel Syrian envoys'.
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