Unhelpful action in Syria

It is not hard to figure out what Moscow is trying to tell the world and the opposition groups in Syria after seeing the air strikes it conducted on the village of Khasham, in the Deir Ezzor region, on the very eve of the projected peace talks between the opposition and Damascus.

Russia’s message can only be that Moscow has its own, unstoppable, agenda in Syria and that the talks are doomed to fail before they even start.

Resorting to military force to make the opposition factions submit is not the right way to prepare the groundwork for a peaceful and lasting settlement of the five-year-old conflict in Syria.

And as if Russia’s strikes were not enough, the US and Turkey are also contemplating military intervention in Syria, ostensibly to defeat Daesh, but in reality to change the balance of power in the country.

US Vice President Joe Biden confirmed on Saturday in Istanbul, during a joint press conference held with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu, that such plans are indeed in the making.

“We do know it would be better if we can reach a political solution but we are prepared, if that’s not possible, to have a military solution to this operation in taking out Daesh,” confirmed Biden.

Thirty-three people, mostly children and women, were killed by the most recent Russian air strikes, which raise new doubts about Moscow’s real intentions in Syria.

This is happening when one would have thought that some goodwill steps would be taken by both sides to the conflict to create the right environment for successful peace talks aiming to end the bloodshed and destruction in this Arab country of noble civilisation.

Now, both Moscow and Washington appear to make known their agendas for Syria, and the gap between them is growing rather than receding.

That spells more bad news for Syria, unfortunately.