The people of Syria have, over the past few days, suffered from the truce that never was. They had to endure the killings as the promises of a moment of respite from the bloodshed never materialised. The failure of this last attempt to bring about peace to the country puts into question any future attempts.
UN and Arab League special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, was due to meet Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, yesterday to discuss the crisis that is tearing Syria apart. Brahimi has indicated that he has not yet given up on his mission to bring about peace and bring all parties closer to a final solution. But are any of these attempts making any progress in this complicated conflict?
The truce that was sought for the Eid holidays never became a reality. The hope that has been attached to such a plan was received with shelling and violence. Despite all the promises, nothing was achieved to alleviate the suffering of the people.
The ground reality is that killings still continue. Syrian warplanes bombarded a rebel stronghold in one of the suburbs of Damascus yesterday. If this is indicative of anything, it is that the situation in Syria is far more complex to resolve than what any party had thought. There is a deep division over what is feasible and what can be achieved.
Having said that, the question of the hour is — where is Syria heading? The ravaging war will continue as no side is willing to consider any step that will bring an end to the violence.
This is to be expected, given the numerous parties involved in the conflict. But the price of the continuation of the current situation will be hefty — and not just for Syria. The world community, therefore, should be prepared for a spillover — the endless conflict will affect the entire region. And to that end, it will be more than Syria that will end up paying the price.
