The Syrian government is delighted with the Russian veto of the draft UN Security Council resolution seeking an end to the violence in Syria. The draft resolution also called on President Bashar Al Assad to heed the Syrian opposition calls for reform, although the final version had a whole section removed which laid out a plan for Al Assad to step down, allowing his deputy to take over and manage a move to transition.
Even this watered down version was vetoed by the Russians and Chinese, on the flimsy excuse that it was too one-sided by only referring to the need for the Syrian Army to withdraw and stop the violence, as no similar requirement had been made on the opposition.
The Russian veto has been taken by the Syrian armed forces as a licence to kill, and the army is continuing to drop continuous artillery and mortar fire on many residential areas of Homs, where many residents now fear that the army will soon move in leading to widespread killing on a scale reminiscent of the massacre in Hama 30 years ago.
The violence has to end, and the killing must stop. The Russians have done nothing to help the situation as they play global politics with Syrian lives. Al Assad does not appear to be listening to anyone other than his own generals, and he is trapped in their narrow and dangerous view of Syria's future, in which they continue to dominate the population by force.
The Russians, and other countries with any desire to help, including the Arab League and GCC states, need to make it clear to Al Assad that the time for change has arrived. He cannot continue to murder his people to keep his regime in power, and needs to look for alternatives.
