Syria’s Opposition Activists May Reject New Anna Plan

They seem to be vowing for an outside intervention for regime change, and nothing less

Syria’s opposition expressed plans to completely reject the plan for a democratic political transition decided upon by world powers in a meeting called by UN envoy Kofi Annan on Saturday.

Many activists and militiamen in the opposition don’t accept the so-called transition, arguing that all-out war is the only way to end the chaos in Syria.

“There is no peace and there is no plan,” said Ahmed Julak, 39, from a hospital bed in southern Turkey, where he is recovering from a broken leg he got while smuggling ammunition into Syria.

“Nobody listened to Kofi Annan [and the ceasefire plan]. Not the regime, and not us. There is no dealing with these people, and that is the truth. And what is a transitional government?” he asked.

Annan’s plan calls for an internationally supervised transition to a unity government formed according to a democratic process and can include members of the present regime as well as opposition. The future of Assad “will be left to them,” Annan said.

“If Assad stays or goes is not the problem. It’s the regime that needs to go. If that doesn’t happen, then no reasonable person can say there has been progress.”

But its not clear what other option the opposition has. Presumably, they have been emboldened by the logistics support and weaponry they have been receiving from the US and its allies. Annan’s plan at least has a chance to stem the violence and incrementally improve the intractable conflict, but activists seem to be vowing more for a military intervention from the West to oust Assad.

Author: John Glaser

John Glaser writes for Antiwar.com.