Syrian foreign minister: 'There is no civil war'
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International inspectors have聽 to Syria to investigate more reported instances of chemical weapons use following a rare show of international consensus at the United Nations Security Council to require Syria to give up its chemical arsenal.
Meanwhile, Syria鈥檚 foreign minister took the stage at the United Nations, reiterating the government's argument that the violence in Syria is actually part of a larger war against terrorism, not a civil war.
The inspection that was finished Monday was an incremental step toward the effort to destroy Syrian President Bashar al-Assad鈥檚 deadly cache. The actual destruction is scheduled to begin Nov. 1 with decidedly low-tech methods . The entire program is slated to be eliminated by the middle of 2014, a deadline that many weapons experts agree is ambitious, if not unrealistic.
滨苍蝉辫别肠迟辞谤蝉听聽in the effort to document the size and location of the arsenal. The UN Security Council鈥檚 resolution, passed Friday, is considered聽 on the Syrian conflict to date, and possibly a landmark agreement in international security.
鈥淭he use of chemical weapons anywhere constitutes a threat to international peace and security,鈥澛�.
The resolution calls on Syria to give up its chemical weapons and authorizes the Security Council to take action against Damascus 鈥� such as sanctions 鈥� if it fails to comply. However, any action would require unanimous approval from the Council, which includes staunch Syria ally Russia.聽
The progress on the weapons program also comes amid guarded optimism about the role that Iran, Syria鈥檚 most important ally,聽plays in the Gordian knot of Middle Eastern politics. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and President Obama shared a historic phone call last week 鈥� a small but remarkable move in the 34-year hostile relationship between the two nations.
Tehran has long been Syria鈥檚 stalwart ally, particularly as the current civil war gathered steam and brutality. It has to Mr. Assad鈥檚 embattled regime.
The fact that the Assad government is giving up its chemical weapons is a modest victory for international cooperation. But it doesn鈥檛 obscure the fact that a brutal sectarian war grinds on, now in its third year, with 100,000 casualties and counting. And there is virtually no consensus about how to bring the fighting to an end, except to just let the fighting go on, some experts argue.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Syria鈥檚 interest in being cooperative could deflect international attention from Syria鈥檚 overall conduct in the civil war, which has been the subject of harsh condemnation.
鈥淭he chemical weapons matter is important, but just a small part of the big problem we face in Syria,鈥� Peter Brookes, a senior fellow at the conservative Washington-based think tank Heritage Foundation and a former deputy assistant secretary of Defense. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 our plan for the rest of it?鈥澛�
Speaking at the UN General Assembly Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem repeated his government鈥檚 longstanding argument that the country鈥檚 internal violence is a fight against terrorism, not a civil war.
"There is no civil war in Syria," 聽Monday. "But it is a war against terror that recognizes no values,聽nor justice, nor equality, and disregards any rights or laws."
While often dismissed in the West as exaggerated, that position has gained shreds of credibility in recent weeks from about the growing number and clout of rebel fighters espousing extremist ideologies and even claiming membership to Al Qaeda.
鈥淭he Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria is widely acknowledged as the most effective fighting force in the war against Bashar al-Assad鈥檚 regime,鈥� the Washington-based Bipartisan Policy Center in a report released earlier this month.
Last week鈥檚 that a dozen rebel groups had rejected the Western-backed Syrian National Council dealt a blow to efforts to generate a unified position for any sort of peace negotiations with the Syrian government.
The divide between moderate groups and radical factions among Syria鈥檚 rebels, and increasing internecine warfare, is likely to spin the war into new, unpredictable directions. That could bolster the hand of Syrian government forces, lessen support for the rebels, and,聽as the Bipartisan Policy Center , worse:
鈥淭he war (in Syria) has even more of the characteristics of a perfect jihadi storm than Afghanistan possessed three decades ago: a conflict in the heart of the Arab world with widespread support among Sunni Muslims, the provision of financial assistance from wealthy Gulf supporters, a popular cause that readily attracts foreign volunteers, and a contiguous border with a number of Muslim states that facilitates the movements of fighters into and out of the battle space.鈥�
