The United Nations has finally set aside months of bitter wrangling to present a joint demand to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, urging him to accept a peace initiative.
The United Nations has finally set aside months of bitter wrangling to present a joint demand to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, urging him to accept a peace initiative. The plan would see him withdrawing troops from the street and opening negotiations with the opposition.
The UN presidential statement, which has less weight than a Security Council resolution but the moral authority of unanimity among its members, calls on the Assad regime to accept the peace plan put forward by the special envoy, Kofi Annan. It is a partial climbdown by the West, led by the United States, Britain and France, which has had to give up for the time being attempts to put pressure on Mr Assad to quit in the face of vetoes by Russia and China.
But they managed to persuade Moscow to allow a more general reference to "political transition", which one diplomat called their "red line".
Annan's six-point proposal, presented to the UN last week, calls for an "inclusive political process", an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of forces by both sides, humanitarian aid deliveries, a release of prisoners, freedom of movement for journalists, and respect for freedom of association and demonstration.
Omitted is any mention of elections or a transfer of power, both demanded by an Arab League proposal which has been the West's working blueprint so far.
Both pro- and anti-Assad factions in the Security Council will boast that the finding of common ground is a success.
"I strongly welcome the Security Council's full and unanimous support for the work of Kofi Annan as joint UN-Arab League envoy," said William Hague, the British Foreign Secretary. "I urge the Syrian authorities to take this chance to stop the bloodshed."
China praised the statement as a positive step towards a political settlement. Li Baodong, China's permanent representative to the UN, called on Assad's government to "cease violence immediately, reflect political will and launch political dialogue as soon as possible".
The fact that the West has had to back off from a regime change that would end the rule of a key ally of Iran and of militant groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah shows the impasse it had reached.
"The statement is obviously watered down," said Amr al-Azm, a Syrian political analyst in exile in America. "It is clear that the Americans are keen on getting something moving on the diplomatic side because nothing else is happening for them."
But Russia too has had to make concessions. One Western diplomat pointed to the fact that despite initial Russian opposition, the resolution referred to Annan's role not only as a UN but also an Arab League envoy, hinting that the league's plan for Assad to hand over powers to his vice-president was still technically alive. Moscow will also be aware that if Assad implements the plan and withdraws troops, the chances are that widespread demonstrations will put his authority under renewed threat.
Both sides have become further entrenched since Assad's campaign to retake rebel-held areas by artillery bombardment began to show signs of success. Yesterday his troops shelled Khaldiyah, a suburb of Homs, for the second day, and there were also heavy clashes in the outskirts of Damascus.
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