The Killing in Syria Will Continue Even Without Chemical Weapons

October 1, 2013

Published in Die Presse
(Austria) on 28 September 2013
by Wieland Schneider (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Holly Bickerton. Edited by Brent Landon.

The killing in Syria will continue even without chemical weapons. Moscow and Washington must make a fresh attempt at a diplomatic solution.

The United States could have demanded more, but it could not prevail against Russia: A U.N. resolution authorizing automatic punitive military action if the Assad regime does not cooperate with chemical weapons disarmament? Moscow would never have agreed to that. The fact that a compromise has even been reached seems amazing, given the paralysis of the U.N. Security Council up to now. The West wants Syria’s chemical weapons to be destroyed, not just so that the regime cannot use them against its own people, but also to prevent them from falling into the hands of jihadi rebels.

If the chemical weapons are destroyed, this would remove a deadly element from the Syrian battlefield. People will still be killed anyway, but by tanks, planes and guns. The regime and the rebels are perched on a military crisis. Moscow and Washington must act quickly and exploit the thaw with Tehran to attempt a diplomatic solution to the conflict. With every day that passes, Syria sinks deeper and deeper into blood and misery.

Sterben in Syrien geht auch ohne C-Waffen weiter
Moskau und Washington müssen einen neuen Anlauf zu einer diplomatischen Lösung nehmen.
Die USA hätten mehr gewollt. Doch gegen Russland konnten sie sich nicht durchsetzen. Eine UN-Resolution, die einen Automatismus für Militärschläge beinhaltet, wenn das Assad-Regime bei der C-Waffen-Abrüstung nicht kooperiert? Dem hätte Moskau niemals zugestimmt. Dass überhaupt ein Kompromiss gefunden wurde, wirkt angesichts der bisherigen Lähmung des UN-Sicherheitsrates in Sachen Syrien wie eine Sensation. Der Westen will, dass Syriens Chemiewaffen ausgeschaltet werden: Aber nicht nur, damit das Regime nicht Giftgas gegen die Bevölkerung einsetzen kann. Es soll auch verhindert werden, dass C-Kampfstoffe in die Hände jihadistischer Aufständischer fallen.
Mit den Chemiewaffen verschwände ein teuflisches Instrument vom syrischen Schlachtfeld. Das Sterben geht aber in jedem Fall weiter – durch Panzer, Flugzeuge, Sturmgewehre. Regime und Rebellen setzen auf eine militärische Entscheidung. Moskau und Washington müssen – unter Ausnutzen des Tauwetters mit Teheran – rasch einen diplomatischen Anlauf zur Lösung des Konflikts nehmen. Denn mit jedem Tag, der vergeht, versinkt Syrien tiefer in Blut und Elend.

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