Mon, September 24, 2012
By Li Hongmei, Special to Sina English
A new appalling massacre has occurred in Syria. On Wednesday, about 100 people were killed in two villages near Hama, half of the victims were women and children, and some of them were stabbed or burned to death.
The information about the mass killing of civilians was released by a spokesman for the oppositional Syrian National Council. He blamed it on the government troops and warned that Bashar al-Assad’s regime was planning new attacks. He also mentioned some of the details of the allegedly planned attack, including the fact that it will apparently involve cars laden with explosives.
The Syrian state TV has offered a diametrically opposed version of the tragedy. According to its version, the Syrian army tried to assist the civilians as they were being assaulted by militants. The army attacked the terrorists’ hideout which was based in one of the villages and all the terrorists were killed in the clashes that followed.
This is the second mass bloodshed which has taken place in the last two weeks. On the 25th -26th of May, over 100 people were killed in the village of Hula in the Homs province. Many of them, including women and children, were either shot in the back of the head or burned.
The opposition blamed this on Damascus but the latter denied responsibility for the crime. The new massacre, unlike the previous one, took place the day after the oppositional Free Syrian Army refused to comply with Kofi Annan’s peace plan which stipulates that ceasefire must be observed by both the authorities and the opposition.
A coordinator of the humanitarian project referred to the opinions of ordinary Syrians when he was asked by a media what becomes of the people plagued by an escalating humanitarian crisis which has lasted for 15 months:
“Over 80% of Syria’s people support the president and this number is growing. Why? They are witnessing terrorist acts and violence perpetrated by militants who claim to be building so-called democracy and freedom. They are blaming the Persian Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia and Qatar which are openly financing the terrorists. They are also blaming the crisis on Turkey, the US, the UK and France which have imposed sanctions on Syria. What is all this talk about the West supporting Syrians when the latter are not allowed to have enough food or get education, when the West finances terrorists who kill civilians and destroy schools, hospitals and mosques?”
The mission of UN observers in Syria is planning to give its interpretation of the tragedy which took place in the village of Hula two weeks ago. Following yesterday’s massacre, the mission will be conducting a new investigation. Chances are that both of these incidents will be combined in one case to enable the observers to find out the truth and punish those guilty of mass violation of people’s right to life.
So far, it is still a remote chance that they will come up with a formula which can break through the impasse and work to a peaceful solution.
But, as it happens, a civil war is simmering in Syria, which cannot be stopped by any agreements, resolutions or anything of the kind.
It seems that, at least at the time, Syria has no chance of a happy ending to this story. If there is a military operation like in the cases of Iraq and Libya, Syria will be destroyed in an 'Iraq' way.
If there is no military operation on the part of either the North Atlantic Alliance or the League of Arab Nation or a joint operation, it will follow something like the Egyptian scenario.
Whether it be, the result could be not merely the downfall of an “unpopular” regime, but an unbearable toll on the Syrian people.
Related：
Annan says proposed contact group on Syria under discussion
UN monitors shot at near site of Syrian killings
