Saudi Arabia and India agree to study feasibility of establishing power grid    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR5.9 billion net profit after Zakat and Income Tax for YTD Q3    Economy minister emphasizes global partnerships to address pressing challenges Private investments in non-oil sector soar 70%    Saudi Arabia's GDP grows 2.8% in Q3, driven by non-oil sectors    PIF, HKMA sign MoU to establish $1 billion investment fund    Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian men to take off clothes as they evacuated war-torn Jabalya    North Korea fires suspected intercontinental missile    India celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights    'It was like a tsunami': Spaniards recount horror of deadly floods    Bahrain Crown Prince receives Saudi Interior Minister    In-person classes will remain suspended in Jeddah, Rabigh and Khulais schools on Thursday    HR Ministry takes penal action against 568 violators of Domestic Workers' Regulation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Al Nassr eliminated from King's Cup after a defeat to Al Taawoun    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Othman Al Omeir receives Legacy of Change Medal at the UK Parliament for advocacy in media    Neymar joins Saudi fashion trend, donning traditional attire at Al Hilal match    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    Saudi Football Federation reappoints Hervé Renard to lead national team    Tarzan star Ron Ely dies aged 86    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



On the Shifts of the Syrian Opposition
Published in AL HAYAT on 26 - 05 - 2013

Michel Kilo, in an article titled ‘Deadly Chaos' (Al-Safir, May 18), mourned the Syrian revolution. Yet even the word ‘mourn' is not fully consistent with the content of his article, because mourning always carries connotations of praise and regret, and prayers for mercy for the deceased. Instead, he spared no bad quality to attribute it to the political and military leaders of the ‘revolution', some of whom apparently “carry an exceptional amount of selfishness and ignorance."
In addition to that, Kilo accused those leaders of “sitting on their chairs to manage organized killings in an unreserved manner." Kilo wrote that “the heads are corrupt, and their corruption has played a dangerous role in corrupting the body." He then asked, “What legitimacy has a coalition left, when its members betray Sheikh Moaz al-Khatib? Or when its secretary general and the revolutionary, whose name I can no longer remember, have an exchange at an official meeting in which the former tells the latter ‘Shut up or I will expose you, and expose your corruption, bribery, and the reality of your positions,' to which the latter replies: ‘And if you don't shut up then I will expose your secrets and connections.'" Kilo finds it surprising that these accusations pass without anyone asking for an inquiry into the matter, and wonders, “Isn't this the ultimate corruption?"
If someone from outside the opposition wrote what Kilo wrote, he or she would have been immediately accused of being an agent of the Syrian regime, or part of a fifth column tasked with undercutting the work of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and its revolutionary purity. But the writer has been known for his opposition to the regime both before and after the crisis, and is a major figure in the Damascus Spring, so what he wrote is supposed to be emanating from his concern for the opposition.
No one denies that the Syrian opposition receives great support, both armed and political. For instance, the British paper The Financial Times mentioned that a certain state alone has granted up to $3 billion to the opposition in the past two years. But for important members of the opposition to exchange accusations of corruption and treason, and threats to expose one another, with no measures taken for accountability or even to protest, aside from Kilo's article, then this is a matter that should be thoroughly considered. Indeed, the Syrian people, who rose against corruption and nepotism, are paying the price in blood twice, one in the face of the regime's tyranny, and another because of the opposition's recklessness.
Nothing spoils a revolution of the poor like money. Nothing derails it from its goals like subservience to its backers, especially if those pursue multiple policies, and if the leaders of the revolution have no clear program on the basis of which they receive support. Such a program must cover all facets of life, from the economy to politics, and from the form of the regime and internal and foreign relations, to the attitude on the backing countries and others.
Perhaps the Palestinian and Lebanese experience in the 1970s and 1980s are the best example of this (e.g. Abu Nidal and his relationship with Iraq, and Carlos and his relationship with Gaddafi). The former Iraqi opposition, which holds power in Baghdad today, is also another example.
In truth, the SNC is an alliance of many parties and political figures, including some that emerged during the uprising, and others who have a long history in political action such as the Muslim Brotherhood. It is therefore only natural for each faction to have its own political ambitions. However, the issue is about how they can join their efforts together to achieve these aspirations and agree to a unified plan.
Initially, the Syrian National Council, after it was established in Istanbul, called for a joint Arab-NATO military intervention, similar to what happened in Libya, and continued to make this demand for more than a year. When the Council saw that meeting its demands was almost impossible, and when the United States declared that the Council had “expired," as suggested by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Council bowed down and joined the SNC. After that, it changed its plan to calling for a buffer zone under the control of an interim government in the ‘liberated territories,' which would act as a staging ground to ‘liberate' the remainder of Syria and ‘expel the Assad family from the country.'
When that too became impossible, because of US and European positions and because of Turkish concerns, this goal was substituted with the call for military aid that can help the militants fight the regular army, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles and long-range artillery. This demand is still in place, but it faces many difficulties, most importantly the need to unify the political and armed wings of the opposition, and purge ‘extremists' from their ranks. The SNC also retracted its objection to the US designation of al-Nusra Front as a terror group, and there are many indications that it has now abandoned calling for Assad's departure as a pre-condition for attending the Geneva II conference.
The Syrian opposition's backpedalling from its strict positions reflects similar attitudes by the countries that back it, and also its weakness and lack of a clear vision.
Michel Kilo's mourning of the SNC may be premature, but what is certain is that the opposition grouping is undergoing many shifts to comply with the demands of ‘friendly countries.' Whoever wants to know the stance of the Syrian opposition must therefore consult its backers – and not George Sabra, Haitham al-Maleh, the Muslim Brotherhood, or Ghassan Hitto.


Clic here to read the story from its source.