The Syrian regime has chosen to isolate itself by opting for the road of no return, writes Bassel Oudat from Damascus Almost five months after the Syrian uprising began, and after an estimated 2,600 civilians were killed, the UN Security Council finally took action, issuing a statement condemning the military campaign by Syrian forces against civilians. It also condemned the extensive violations of human rights carried out by the regime, and called for an immediate end to the violence. The regime had planned a military assault on Hamah but was surprised at the last minute by the French and US ambassadors arriving on the scene hours before the dawn operation was due to begin. This meant that they had to postpone the plan. Hamah was the target of a random massacre of civilians at the beginning of last week, resulting in the death of 300 people in four days, according to the Local Coordination Committees (LCC). Hundreds of tanks entered the city which has witnessed the biggest demonstrations to date against Assad's regime. More than half a million people have taken to the streets over the past few weeks. International pressure on Assad's regime is mounting, especially after the Security Council's condemnation. Western officials said that Assad had chosen the road of no return after tanks shelled Syrian cities. On Friday, the leaders of the US, France and Germany agreed to measures intended to put more pressure on the Syrian regime. "We have definitely passed the point of no return," Razan Zeitouna, a Syrian human rights activist and member of the LCC, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "There is no alternative to the overthrow of the regime. We all know the cost of this for the Syrian people, and the amount of pain and suffering that we must yet endure, but we also know that we have no other option. Either we continue until we achieve the goals of the revolution by overthrowing the regime or Syria returns to a reign of suppression." After meeting with members of the Syrian opposition the first time, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton reiterated Washington's position that Syrian President has lost legitimacy. Clinton held Assad responsible for the deaths of 2,000 people of various ages in Syria, declaring after the meeting that the US "will continue its support of the Syrian people in their effort to start a peaceful and orderly transitional process to democracy." White House Spokesman Jay Carney said that "Assad is on his way out and we must all think about the post-Assad phase". Carney asserted that Assad "is taking Syria and the entire Middle East region down a very dangerous road", adding that "it would not be a gamble to say that Syria will be in better shape without President Assad." UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon told Assad what no UN chief has told another head of state. The Syrian president has "lost all sense of humanity", said Ban Ki-Moon, and "must realise that he is accountable to international law". Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that "using heavy weaponry and tanks in residential areas such as Hamah is illegal". "Syria should take messages from Turkey and the international community seriously and end the violence as soon as possible." Davutoglu added that Turkey "has reached the end of its patience". Statements by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev came as a bombshell to the Syrian regime. Contrary to expectations in Damascus, Medvedev declared that Moscow "is very concerned" about the "tragic" conditions in Syria, and warned Assad of "the sad fate awaiting him" if he does not implement reforms. Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle announced that "President Assad's political future is over" and "using excessive violence proves that the regime will do anything to stay in power". Westerwelle added that conditions in Syria "could also destabilise the entire region". Western positions were echoed in some Arab states. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) broke its silence and issued an unprecedented joint statement commenting on the demonstrations in Syria that began in mid-March. The GCC expressed "grave concern and sorrow over excessive use of force" in Syria, and called on the Syrian regime to "immediately halt the bloodshed and implement genuine and necessary reforms". Saudi King Abdullah announced that what is happening in Syria "cannot be justified". He added that Syria now has two options, and must choose between wisdom or disorder. Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Syria for consultations, following Qatar. Both Kuwait and Bahrain then followed suit and recalled their ambassadors. The Gulf states later declared that a meeting will be held soon to discuss the deteriorating situation in Syria. Kuwait, Manama, Amman and Cairo have all witnessed strikes in solidarity with the Syrian people. Protestors have demanded the expulsion of Syrian ambassadors from their capitals and condemned the "brutal crimes" committed against the unarmed people of Syria. Arab diplomatic sources anticipate that Arab ambassadors will soon be recalled from Syria en masse. Italy recalled its ambassador to Damascus at the end of last month to protest "the brutal repression of civilians", and urged EU members to do the same. Meanwhile, the EU extended the list of Syrian officials whose assets have been frozen and who are banned from traveling to Europe to include the defence minister and five security officials and relatives of Assad. This brings to 34 the number of Syrian officials facing EU sanctions, including Assad. "The violence perpetrated by the Syrian regime has revealed its political limitations, immorality and lack of ideology," Khaldoun Al-Aswad, official spokesman of the 17 April Youth Movement for Democratic Change in Syria, told the Weekly. "The regime burnt any bridges that could have helped reconcile it with the public when it began shooting unarmed protestors. These are its final hours. The regime only exists because of its oppressive security agencies and will therefore never abandon them. At the same time, the people of Syria will no longer accept to live with them," said Al-Aswad. Leading opposition figure Sohair Al-Atassi, a member of the Gamal Al-Atassi Forum for Democratic National Dialogue, told the Weekly that "today Syria is living through a revolution not an uprising, and this revolution is undeterred". "It will not be extinguished until it reaches its goals of overthrowing the illegitimate regime and all its apparatuses, and establishing a free democratic civic state". Atassi said she was certain "peaceful demonstrations will continue in Syria until they escalate into a general strike and mass civil disobedience". "The regime is adopting a scorched earth policy to maintain its position, but chaos will not be the alternative. We want to hand over power to a body approved by the people that will be in charge of Syria's transition into a free democratic civic state." While protests expand and grow, the effects of Western sanctions have started to manifest themselves. Tourism is non-existent, and there are reports that Syrians have transferred $20 billion overseas. Meanwhile, Austria disclosed that it has been asked to print more currency for the Syrian Central Bank, bringing fears that hyper-inflation is just around the corner. Former Syrian Minister Marwan Habashi predicts that the Syrian crisis will become increasingly internationalised. "As long as the regime continues to use its security and military forces to suppress a peaceful popular movement the crisis will be an international issue. Yet the regime continues to deny the existence of political problems arising from the despotic and police nature of the state. In the absence of such an admission, and a realization that the only solution is through political dialogue, Syria cannot move ahead. Every day that passes on which more blood is spilled further severs the link between the movement and the regime. The cohesiveness of Syria's political and military institutions cannot last forever. There will be discrepancies that will result in serious fractures."
