A ceasefire brokered by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi
Annan has not stopped Syrian President Bashar Assad from continuing
to murder rebels, although at a lesser rate than the more than 100 a
day that were killed in the past week.
Rebels have refused his new ceasefire condition to lay down their
arms and instead continue to fight back. The video, taken earlier
this week, shows opposition forces capturing and killing four of
Assad’s security forces and burning their car in Aleppo.
Annan insisted that the ceasefire was not a failure – yet – and that
it still is “very much alive,” which is more than can said for well
over 10,000 victims of the vicious suppression of the year-old
rebellion that began with peaceful rallies for political reforms.
The Obama administration initially backed Assad, with U.S. Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton even calling Assad a “reformer” despite
evidence of brutal killings. On Tuesday, she blamed Russia for
allowing the situation in Syria to deteriorate towards civil war.
"We will have another go at trying to persuade the Russians that the
situation is deteriorating and the likelihood of regional conflict
and civil war is increasing," she said at the U.S. Naval Academy
Russia has a huge investment in Syria’s military infrastructure and
has been the major power backing the Assad regime. Both Moscow and
China have blocked efforts by the Western nations in the United
Nations Security Council to pass a resolution condemning Syria’s
terror against the opposition.
As day one of the supposed ceasefire passed, residents of the rebel
stronghold of Homs reported that Syrian troops continued shelling
their homes and a makeshift hospital.
"Obviously, members of the council are unified in their grave concern
that this deadline has passed and the violence has not only continued
but over the last 10 days has intensified," said Susan Rice, U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe declared, "Not only has the use
of heavy weapons not ended ...but what was presented as a withdrawal
is in fact only a thinly disguised redeployment.”
The Obama administration is in no mood for giving military aid to the
rebels, while Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain continues to call for
air strikes on Assad’s forces and belittled China and Russia “for
blocking the efforts that could be made by the U.N. to stop the
slaughter.”
