16 November 2012 By Tariq Alhomayed We cannot congratulate the Arab
region until after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad
regime; a regime we will not mourn , and one of the
worst we have ever known, but we can say that Monday
was a historic day for the Syrians and the region. On
that day, the Arabs withdrew any remaining legitimacy
from the al-Assad regime, and finally recognized the
Syrian National Coalition as the legitimate
representative of the Syrian people and the main
interlocutor with the Arab League. It was a historic day for everyone with a
conscience, everyone who loves this region, and
everyone who believes in justice, preserving the
interests of the region, and clearing it of criminal
regimes. It was a historic day that we had long called
for, and we have the right to repeat that today, and
every day until al-Assad's fall. Throughout twenty
months of al-Assad's crimes, I, along with a few
rational minds in this newspaper, said that the Arabs
were wasting time in Syria, giving al-Assad one chance
after another. The Arab League itself was most at
fault for playing this shameful role, whatever its
excuses, as it was duped by al-Assad's tricks and
succumbed to all his evil schemes, and the result
today is that over 36,000 have been killed! But as the saying goes, better late than never. The
Arabs lately recognized the Syrian National Coalition
as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people
after the Gulf states and the international community
led efforts in Doha to unite the Syrian opposition,
along the lines of what happened in Libya. We have
finally seen these efforts rewarded with this
recognition of the Syrian National Coalition as the
legitimate representative of the Syrian people, and
this is precisely what happened in Libya prior to the
ouster of the tyrant of Tripoli, Muammar Gaddafi. However, to be honest, there are other Arab
countries that have failed the Syrian people, and they
will go down in history for that. These include
Algeria, Iraq and of course the current government of
Lebanon. History will record that the Gulf states -
with Saudi Arabia heading this list - served as a
source of moral and political leverage in Syria. This
has been the case ever since Saudi monarch King
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz gave a speech during the
Ramadan before last, in which he demanded an end to
the al-Assad killing machine. The Gulf states were the
first to recognize the Syrian National Coalition as
the legitimate representative of the Syrian people,
and they called upon the Arab states and the
international community to follow the same path. The
Arab League has now done so, and shortly we will see
the international community do the same. What is also important and notable in the Arab
League's recent decision, which includes recognition
for the Syrian National Coalition, is the call for the
need to continue efforts to achieve consensus in the
UN Security Council. The Arab League has called upon
the Security Council to pass an immediate resolution
for a ceasefire, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
This means that the Arabs are demanding that the final
scenes be put in place, in order to turn the page on
the criminal al-Assad regime, via international
resolutions. The truth is that the end of the al-Assad
regime will not come about through international
resolutions alone, it will also be an ongoing daily
process inside Syria. Yet we are approaching the final
moments, without a doubt, and the most important step
in this direction was the Arab recognition for the
Syrian National Coalition. In summary I would say that Monday was a historic
day that deserves praise, albeit with caution until
the most important day comes, the day of the tyrant of
Damascus' departure, and this is now closer than ever.
Tariq Alhomayed is the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq
Al-Awsat, the youngest person to be appointed that
position. He holds a BA degree in Media studies from
King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, and has also
completed his Introductory courses towards a Master's
degree from George Washington University in Washington
D.C. He is based in London. Comments 💬 التعليقات |