Russia pushes reforms as Syria is isolated

8 Feb 2012, 6:23 pm   -   Source: AAP

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Russia is proposing reforms in Syria even as the Assad regime continues to pound cities and Arab and Western nations close their embassies.

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Days after blocking a US-backed peace plan at the UN, senior Russian officials have pushed for reforms during an emergency meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, promoting a settlement to end the uprising without removing him from power.

Thousands of flag-waving government supporters cheered the Russians in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Tuesday, while to the north, Assad's forces pounded the opposition city of Homs - underscoring the sharp divisions propelling the country toward civil war.

The violence has led to the most severe international isolation in more than four decades of Assad family rule, with country after country calling home their envoys.

France, Italy, Spain and Belgium pulled their ambassadors from Damascus, as did six Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia. Germany, whose envoy left the country this month, said he would not be replaced. The moves came a day after the US closed its embassy in Syria and Britain recalled its ambassador.

Turkey, once a strong Assad supporter and now one of his most vocal critics, added its voice to the international condemnation, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying his country cannot remain silent about massacres in Syria. He said Turkey would "launch a new initiative with countries that stand by the Syrian people instead of the regime".

His comments reflect a growing movement by the US, Europe and countries in the region to organise a coalition of nations to back Syria's opposition, though what kind of support remains unclear. Over the weekend, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for "friends of democratic Syria" to unite and rally against Assad's regime.

On Tuesday, the Obama administration suggested it might provide humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, but did not specify how or to whom.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov flew into Damascus on Tuesday, accompanied by his foreign security chief, to try to boost a plan that would keep Assad in power, even though many prominent members of the opposition reject that entirely.

"It's clear that efforts to stop the violence should be accompanied by the beginning of dialogue among the political forces," Lavrov said, according to the Russian news agency ITAR-Tass. "Today we received confirmation of the readiness of the president of Syria for this work."

The visit was also a sign that Moscow wanted to get a firsthand assessment of the situation on the ground in Syria - and the raucous welcome the diplomats received from thousands of regime supporters appeared aimed at showing that Assad's grip is firm, at least in Damascus.

Syria has been a key Russian ally since Soviet times, and Moscow remains a major arms supplier to Damascus even as Assad unleashes his forces to crush not only peaceful protesters, but army defectors who are fighting the regime.

The UN estimates the government crackdown has killed more than 5400 people since March, making Syria's conflict one of the deadliest of the Arab Spring. Hundreds more are believed to have died since the UN released that figure in January, but the chaos in the country has made it impossible for the world body to update its figures.

Tuesday's visit by Lavrov and intelligence chief Mikhail Fradkov was evidence that Russia does not want to be seen as giving Assad a free hand to crush his opponents in the wake of Saturday's veto at the UN Security Council.

Russia has opposed any UN call that could be interpreted as advocating military intervention or regime change. Russia and China also used their veto powers in October to block an attempt to condemn the violence in Syria.

Repeated efforts by the Arab League and Russia to broker talks have been rejected by the Syrian opposition, which refuses any negotiations while the crackdown continues. The opposition has also said Assad's proposed reforms, including a new constitution and eventual multiparty elections, are aimed at keeping his hold on power.

The Assad regime says terrorists acting out a foreign conspiracy to destabilise the country are behind the uprising, not people seeking to transform the authoritarian regime.

But in the flashpoints of the conflict, witnesses, residents and human rights workers say Assad's forces are shelling and firing indiscriminately. On Tuesday, the troops renewed their assault on one of the main centres of the opposition, the city of Homs, with activists saying tanks were closing in on a restive neighbourhood.

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