UNITED NATIONS – Since they began in March, Syrian protests and calls for the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime have been met with armed government forces and a general disregard for the meaning of “Freedom of Speech” that topped even Israel’s anti-boycott law last month. More recently, the Syrian city of Hama has come under siege by Syrian forces. Activists have claimed deaths numbering more than 150.
“The last time an uprising there was ruthlessly put down, in 1982, many thousands died,” said Jim Muir of BBC news. “That is one reason why the world is watching this drama with such concern.”
Many of Syria’s allies, including Turkey and Russia, have responded to the siege with anger. Bulent Arinc, deputy prime minister of Turkey, said Wednesday that those responsible for the “atrocity” in Hama “can’t be our friend.”
However, by far the most shocking response of all has been the response of the United Nations Security Council. After four months of ignoring civilian deaths numbering well above 1,500, the U.N. Security Council put its foot down over the siege and promptly issued a statement condemning “widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities.” An anonymous aide to American council representative Susan Rice spoke to ICTPT reporters saying the council also “wagged its finger” in the “general direction of Syria.”
“This is truly a historic moment,” Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science at American University in Beirut, told reporters. “The United Nations is traditionally an organization of lazy idiots who generally ignore world crises and argue a lot in an effort to look like they’re doing something about it. That they’ve actually issued a statement is a huge change from their usual strategy, and that they’ve actually done something about a world crisis twice in one year now makes me wonder if this is actually the same United Nations.”
British permanent representative to the council, Mark Lyall Grant, hinted at “stronger measures” if the statement is ignored.
“In this situation, the appropriate action would be sports sanctions,” Mr. Lyall Grant told reporters. “President Assad will be very sorry if Syria is not allowed to participate in the Winter Olympics this year.” Syria has never sent athletes to the Winter Olympics, which take place in three years.
Mr. Assad was unavailable for comment, but an anonymous aide told reporters that his reaction to the statement was to shrug his shoulders and ask for more of “those funny videos from Hama.” When the aide was asked if this was part of a bid in the Biggest Douche in the Middle East contest, the aide asked, “The what contest?”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/world/middleeast/04nations.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/world/middleeast/04syria.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=middleeast
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14405293
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13855203
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria_at_the_Olympics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Hama_%282011%29
