A year later, no breakthrough on Syria

Ahram Online gets an inside scoop on the Russia - Arab League talks, which failed to end in a deal on how to get Syria out of the year-long impasse

One year after demonstrations began in Syria for democracy and freedom, no breakthrough has been made to secure the demands of protestors or to secure the continuity of the ruling regime of Bashar Al-Assad.
A meeting that convened this afternoon at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo between Serge Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, the Arab League Secretary General Nabil El-Arabi and representatives of five Arab countries (members of the Arab League Committee on Syria) failed to conclude in agreement a forward-looking path to end the bloodshed in Syria. After demonstrations began in March 2011, confrontations between security forces and the demonstrators have left many dead and many more injured, maimed or fleeing violence.
"It looks like more Syrians would have to die before this mess comes to an end; the parties are still stuck, away from a deal," said an Arab League source who followed the talks between the top Russian diplomat, who spoke on behalf of the Assad regime, and the Arab officials.
Lavrov, according to the same source, had "made no concrete deals for the Arab League to consider."
The foreign minister of Russia called on the Arab League to be realistic and to realise that replacing Al-Assad now, or in the near future, is unlikely in view of the many divisions within the Syrian opposition, whether Syrian or exile-based, and in view of the many ethnic divisions that mark the Syrian society. Russia, along with China, has used a double veto twice at the UN Security Council to block a resolution to impose a set of reform demands on Al-Assad,
According to the same Arab League source, if Al-Assad is removed now, Syria is doomed to an ethnic divide that could amount to a long-term civil war.
The way out, according to the Lavrov's proposition, is for the Arab League to decide to work with and not against Al-Assad by endorsing his plans to induce serious reforms and by asking him to maximise these reforms.
Lavrov, who had met a couple of days ago in Cairo with Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League Envoy to Syria, demanded an upgrade of the Annan mandate to help him broker a final deal with Al-Assad on the reforms and the wider representation of the many segments of opposition Syrian groups in the government, provided that Al-Assad remains in office.
The Arab side has not promised Lavrov anything, according to the Arab League source. Instead, Lavrov's Arab interlocutors demanded that Moscow convince Damascus to accept the Arab deal that provides a way out for Al-Assad if he hands power over to his vice president and allows for democratic elections to bring in a new president and a representative government.
The top Russian diplomat, according to the same source who spoke to Ahram Online on condition of anonymity, was reluctant on this plan.
The only thing that Lavrov and his Arab interlocutors agreed to was to secure humanitarian aid to Syrians, especially in refugee camps on and off the borders of the country.
The Arab League talks were in procession at the same time that Annan was in Damascus meeting with Al-Assad