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The incident obviously poses a serious challenge to Kofi Annan'speace plan for Syria, and will add to the fragility of thesituation in Syria as well. But in order to secure a soft landingfor the Syrian domestic crisis, it has never been more importantfor the international community to support Annan's plan and to takea balanced approach regarding the crisis. The Houla incident is still producing political and diplomaticfallouts after a new round of criticisms and condemnations againstthe Syrian government. Several Western countries, including France,Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada and Australia, have declaredtheir decision to oust Syria's ambassadors and diplomats; externalmilitary intervention has once again been enthusiasticallydiscussed in the capitals of many Gulf countries and the West. However, it is not fair to just criticize the Syrian governmenteven though it should at the very least be responsible for notproviding necessary protection for its citizens. Some even doubtwhether the government has done enough to control pro-governmentmilitias. But, simply punishing the government is not going to helpthe situation in Syria. Annan's plan, despite criticisms for its poor viability in someways, has no better alternatives. The Libyan case demonstrates thatalthough external military intervention might be an efficient wayto topple an incumbent regime, the cost is high. A war in the nameof humanitarian concerns actually resulted in an even greaterhumanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of lives lost.What's more, the war was by no way means a real solution to theproblem. Analysts believe that the current infighting betweentribes will likely result in the division of Libya. Yemen's model cannot be applied to Syria either. The past hostilityof the West toward Syria is still one of the major sources ofBashar Al-Assad's sense of uncertainty for his future, his family'sfuture, and the future of his ruling group if he were to resign.Staunch ally of Saudi Arabia and the United States as he is,Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh even hesitated many times before finallydeciding to step down. After much bloodshed, it might not be easy for either of theparties, the government or the opposition, to sit down to negotiatea solution for the future of Syria. But, history will prove thatAnnan's plan is the only reasonable option that might avoid humancasualties at the greatest level. An armed suppression of theincumbent government will cause more deaths, and an armedopposition assisted by external powers will equally deprive lives. A negotiated solution, which is the core essence of Annan's plan,depends primarily on stopping violence from both sides. It seemsreasonable for the West to question the willingness of BasharAl-Assad to cease fighting, which could cause him to lose thealready accumulated military advantage; but it is also legitimateto doubt the willingness of the opposition forces to agree to aceasefire. The opposition, encouraged by the successful stories ofLibya, Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen, and assisted by the West, Gulfcountries and Turkey both materially and spiritually, shows verylittle interest for decreasing their "revolutionary enthusiasm". The betterment of the situation depends on the West and regionalcountries adopting a balanced policy. It is important to pressurethe government for a negotiated solution, and it is equallyimportant to bring the opposition to the table through eitherpersuasion or pressure. Otherwise, the political solution to theSyrian crisis will inspire little hope. It is time for the West and some of the regional countries to makea choice. They can continue to support the opposition in theinterest of maintaining geopolitical power, which might result inthe collapse of the Syrian regime, a government that is hostilewith the West, but at a higher human cost; or, they can protecthumanitarian concerns by pressuring not only the government, butthe opposition to come to the table for a negotiated solution. The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more informationplease visit .cn/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, notnecessarily those of China.org.cn. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Whiteboard Marker Ink , Interactive Voting Handsets Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Whiteboard Marker Ink today!
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