Syrian situation getting more complex
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Xinhua, November 21, 2011
The Syrian situation is getting more complex as President Bashar al-Assad faces escalating domestic and international pressure to end his administration's iron-fisted actions on anti-government protesters.
Analysts say international parties should promote peaceful talks instead of violence to avoid civil war in the country.
Russia opposes favoring opposition forces
Analysts said Russia had a very clear stand: Wanting dialogue to peacefully resolve the Syrian crisis and opposing external backing for the opposition, especially the provision of weapons.
Russia believes more pressure should be exerted, not only on the Syrian government but also on its opponents, to get the two sides to talk, they say. It has also criticized the Arab League decision to suspend Syria's membership, but supports its proposal to send 500 observers to Damascus to help implement a peace deal agreed earlier this month.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that civilians as well as armed people were involved in the peaceful anti-government demonstrations.
The armed people had an entirely different agenda from reform and democracy in Syria, Lavrov said, adding they were continuously receiving weapons from neighboring countries.
If the opposition continued to attack government troops, the country would plunge into a civil war. The two sides must both end their violence and accept suggestions for dialogue, which could be held at the Arab League's headquarters, Lavrov said.
On Monday, Lavrov accused western countries of encouraging the opposition forces to topple the Syrian government.
United States pusing for regime change
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that a civil war in Syria was possible if the opposition in the West Asian country grew stronger.
"I think there could be a civil war with a very determined and well-armed and eventually well-financed opposition that is, if not directed by, certainly influenced by defectors from the army," Clinton told the NBC network.
"We're already seeing that, something that we hate to see because we are in favor of a peaceful protest and non-violent opposition," she said, blaming Assad for provoking the opposition into "taking up arms."
Although Clinton stressed the Libya situation was not applicable to Syria, analysts said the comparisons were becoming similar as the Syrian opposition forces, supported by foreign countries, had started to take up arms against the Assad government.
Local media observed that the United States was trying to bring down the Assad government through tougher economic sanctions and increased political pressure, backed by the European Union, Arab countries and Turkey. It was also providing various forms of support to the Syrian opposition forces.
