Syrian opposition groups are beginning to question the effectiveness of the Arab League observer mission after watching its operations for the past 10 days. The opposition is growing more pessimistic and fear that their nation is on a slow but sure slide into civil war. That's an outcome that should not happen, and every effort must be made to ensure it does not.
While civilians are dying daily, it's difficult to understand the full plight faced by anti-government protesters in the troubled nation.
From a distance, it's easy to call on the opposition to show patience — a commodity that is hard to come by when security forces under the control of President Bashar Al Assad use all the force at their disposal to suppress the demonstrators. But patience is required at the moment. The Arab League observers are slowly going about their work, and they are achieving small but notable successes. In the restive city of Daraa, the observers noted the presence of Syrian military snipers and immediately called for the personnel to be removed. The snipers had been positioned in the town after opposition leaders called for mass anti-government protests.
The observers too are well aware that where tanks were stationed before the delegation arrives, those positions are empty, with the armour returning after their departure. Clearly the deaths and violence of these past months in Syria cannot go on indefinitely, and there has to be a resolution to this bloody chapter. With the spectre of civil war rising in the minds of some opposition leaders, dialogue and negotiations are needed as never before. By unifying their goals and demands and by adopting a common front, opposition groups are effectively recognising that they can negotiate from a position of strength. With observers on the ground, now is the time for meaningful dialogue with Al Assad's regime.
