海角大神

The United States stopped short of recognizing the Syrian opposition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people at Friday's international gathering on Syria 鈥� but that move is likely to come soon.

When it does, it will reflect a shift of the international community to the side of the still-developing Syrian National Council and Syrian Free Arm and, probably, fatal isolation of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

It will also bear the imprint of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who, more hawkish and interventionist than the president she serves, will have carried the day as she did less than a year ago in the case of Libya.

At Friday鈥檚 "Friends of Syria" meeting in Tunisia, more than 60 countries and international humanitarian organizations developed plans for getting humanitarian aid to Syria鈥檚 besieged population. The gathering also sought to ramp up pressure on Mr. Assad to allow safe access to humanitarian organizations to get aid into the country.

In an initial sign that Assad might be listening, the Syrian Red Crescent reported Friday that it was being allowed to evacuate wounded women and children from the most devastated neighborhoods of Homs, a city under relentless bombardment by government forces over recent weeks.

The 鈥淔riends鈥� meeting also endorsed the concept of a joint Arab League-United Nations peacekeeping force that would enter Syria, presumably once Assad left power, and secure the country during a democratic transition process.

The meeting suffered from the glaring absence of Russia and China. Their joint veto of UN Security Council action on Syria earlier this month continues to limit the possibilities and effectiveness of international intervention. Some countries lay responsibility for Syria鈥檚 mounting violence and death toll at Russia鈥檚 feet, with France in particular declaring that Assad has interpreted the veto as 鈥渁 license to kill.鈥�

What happened on the margins of the "Friends" meeting was, in some ways, as important to Syria鈥檚 future as what in the general sessions. British Foreign Minister William Hague announced his country鈥檚 recognition of the Syrian National Council, the opposition umbrella group, before he met with the council鈥檚 president, Burhan Ghalioun. Secretary Clinton also met with Mr. Ghalioun.

Saying Britain鈥檚 intent is to 鈥渋ntensify our links with the opposition,鈥� Mr. Hague said a number of countries 鈥渨ill now treat them and recognize them as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people.鈥�

In her comments to the meeting, Clinton described the Syrian National Council (SNC) as 鈥渁 leading legitimate representative of Syrians seeking peaceful democratic change鈥� and as an 鈥渆ffective representative for the Syrian people with governments and international organizations.鈥�

But she also hinted at US frustration with the inability of Syria鈥檚 disparate opposition forces to unite under one representative transitional coalition, as the opposition in Libya did. Clinton praised the SNC for 鈥渁rticulating a plan for the future鈥� but added that the US is looking for 鈥渢he full range of opposition groups and individuals in Syria, including representatives of all ethnic and religious minorities, to come together around that common vision鈥� for Syria鈥檚 political transition.

American and other Western officials, as well as Arab League diplomats, have expressed exasperation at the Syrian opposition鈥檚 inability to overcome deep political, sectarian, and ethnic divisions to forge a common future course.

鈥淲hat we are expecting is unity of the opposition, but we have been expecting this for months,鈥� a聽senior European diplomat told a group of journalists in Washington Thursday. A聽year into the Syrian crisis the divisions remain frustratingly deep, he added. 鈥淚n the case of Libya 鈥渋t was done in a matter of a few weeks.鈥�

The opposition鈥檚 lack of unity is one reason the "Friends" meeting did not take up arming the rebels of the Syrian Free Army, made up largely of soldiers who have deserted the Syrian military. The SFA, based in Turkey, does not coordinate with the Syrian National Council, let alone consider itself its armed wing.聽Still, some countries, including Saudi Arabia, spoke enthusiastically about the idea of sending arms to opposition forces. 聽

Clinton steered clear of the issue in her formal remarks, but in informal comments she did reiterate the administration鈥檚 softening on arming the rebels, which the State Department and White House had unveiled earlier in the week.

On Thursday while in London, Clinton said, 鈥淭here will be increasingly capable opposition forces. They will 鈥� from somewhere, somehow 鈥� find the means to defend themselves as well as begin offensive measures.鈥� She added, 鈥淲orld opinion is not going to stand idly by.鈥�

Some foreign policy analysts, noting Clinton鈥檚 role in persuading President Obama to engage the US militarily on the side of Libya鈥檚 rebels, speculate that Clinton could return from the Tunis meeting determined not to see the US 鈥渟tand idly by鈥� regarding Syria either.

While no one expects the US to enter the Syria crisis militarily, the US could join other Western powers and Arab League countries in pressing for a more aggressive international stance to confront Assad.聽Anne-Marie Slaughter 鈥� Clinton鈥檚 former policy planning director at the State Department 鈥� has called for the establishment of 鈥渘o-kill zones" inside Syria.

In an opinion piece in The New York Times Friday, Dr. Slaughter said the 鈥淔riends of Syria,鈥� including the US, should help the Free Syrian Army establish 鈥渘o-kill zones鈥� along Syria鈥檚 border with Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, where all Syrians could find refuge from Assad鈥檚 assault and access to international humanitarian aid.

Slaughter says a plan to 鈥渃reate zones of peace in what are now zones of death鈥� should come from the region 鈥� the Arab league and Turkey 鈥� just as regional powers took the lead in the Libya crisis.

Establishing the zones, she says, would require neighboring countries such as Turkey and Syria to arm rebel forces 鈥� and with heavier arms than the rifles they currently operate with, including antitank and portable anti-aircraft weapons.

The plan鈥檚 intent is to create safe havens. But a byproduct would seem to be development of the 鈥渋ncreasingly capable opposition forces鈥� Clinton talked about.