Which future for Syrians?

In those two years, the international community has exerted great efforts to resolve the crisis, but every effort has failed. Recent events suggest that a gloomy future lies ahead for the Syrian people.

In the last two years, the international community hoped that peace in Syria would follow the six-point peace plan proposed by the UN-Arab-League special envoy and a series of visits by world leaders.

But, Syria remains bogged down in a civil war which has devastated the country. Nearly 70,000 people have died, more than 1 million people have fled their homes, more than 3 million buildings have been damaged by attacks, and 80,000 Syrian people are now sleeping in caves, parks and barns.

Esma, 7, and a friend peer out of a tent in Lebanon's Bekaa valley that has been her home since her family fled Syria last year. Photograph: Sam Tarling/Save the Children

The war has taken a psychological and physical toll on the children. More than 2 million children have been afflicted by trauma, malnutrition or disease. The fighting has left one in three kids with injuries. And it has left two-thirds of the children in Syria without protection against preventable diseases.

Children are being enticed and coerced to use weapons. A recent UN report says that children as young as 12 are using guns.

Despite the worsening situation in Syria, world powers cannot agree on what should be done to fix it. The UK and France have announced they are ready to arm the opposition forces in Syria, even without EU support.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Paris and London will urge the EU to set time for the next EU meeting on arms sanctions against Syria, based on which the two countries will decide about arming the opposition.

Western countries have consistently sought a peaceful solution to the crisis, but behind the scenes, they have used different ways to support the overthrow of President Bashar Al-Assad. By openly declaring military support for the opposition, they have alarmed the world public.

At a press conference in London, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that arming the opposition in Syria violates international law. He said international law doesn’t allow nations to arm non-governmental parties.

Alexander Lukashevich, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that weapons furnished to the opposition could end up in the hands of terrorists.

It’s clear that support for the opposition party has worsened the crisis in Syria. Clashes keep taking place. In the last three days, at least 100 people were killed in attacks throughout Syria.

The world public holds that a peaceful solution is the only way out of the current crisis in Syria. The urgent task now is to end the violence and bloodshed.

In recent months, Damascus has several times offered dialogues with the opposition party. In late February, Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem said that the Syrian government was ready to negotiate with all parties including the opposition to end the conflict. Yet, this offer did not receive response from the opposition party. The problem is that President Bashar Al Assad’s regime has become a “thorn” in the eyes of Western leaders.

A peaceful solution to Syria can only be reached through joint efforts from all involved parties and consensus from the international community. However, recent developments in Syria challenge this wish.

The motto “Freedom for Syria” has been changed to “Arming the Free Syrian Army” and this has led the country into a blind alley. The path to peace in Syria will be very challenging.