Luckily for France, and for those striving for freedom and democracy, Alain Juppe heads French diplomacy. He is an innovative, patriotic statesman, loyal to the Republic's highest values. And for the second time in two months, he is going to Moscow, followed by China a few days later. Juppe is taking with him strong and intelligent arguments to convince Russian officials, followed by Chinese officials, that their protection of the Syrian regime's repression of its own people is not in their interest, if they are wagering on retaining their influence in Syria over the long term. Juppe is visiting Russia and China a few days before he heads to New York, where he will be busy with Arab issues. His leading concern now is the transition by the new Libyan regime and the punishment of the repressive regime in Syria, and finding ways to protect the Syrian people via the United Nations Security Council. He will also try to push forward peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians before the declaration of a Palestinian state; this is a difficult issue, because Europe lacks a united stance on this move. Juppe's visit to Moscow and China take on exceptional importance because the continued killing of demonstrators in Syria cannot persist without political cover from Russia, which is an important partner of the G8 countries. Does Russia miss its influence from the Soviet era? It might see an economic interest as being the number one supplier of weapons to Syria, which is using them to kill its people. This people, when it takes power in a new Syria, will not forget the Russian stance, if it does not change. Russia says that the west went beyond the mission laid down in the UN Security Council resolution over Libya, and that it will not approve any other resolution involving an international [military] operation. The second argument that is used by Russia or its G8 partners is that President Bashar Assad is serious about reforms, but requires time to carry them out. Thus, it wants a new resolution to focus on reform. This argument is rejected by any sane person. How can reform take place, as the Syrian army hunts peaceful protestors? Juppe has a difficult mission in Russia and China. However, nothing will stop this leading French statesman. He committed himself, before his country's ambassadors in a speech he delivered on the challenges faced by French diplomacy, to "support the tremendous transformation under way in the Arab world. We must help Tunisia and Egypt, but also Morocco and Jordan, succeed with the transitions they've begun…. In Libya, we're entering a new phase: the construction of a democratic country. France will play her full role in this effort… In Syria, we'll be unstinting in our efforts to secure an end to the crackdown and the start of democratic dialogue. We'll develop our contacts with the opposition. The Syrian people, too, deserve freedom and democracy." Juppe is headed once again to Moscow, and then China, armed with this policy, set down since he assumed the Foreign Ministry portfolio, and enjoying the respect of everyone in France and the world. The question is: will this difficult effort by Juppe succeed? He will certainly not abandon the attempt; he is a persistent person by nature, and serious in his efforts, which will not flag, even if valuable time is needed, during which more killing and repression take place. However, as Dr. Ghassan Salameh said in an interview with Marcel Ghanem: "It is impossible for the Syrian regime to return to what it was. Change is inevitable." Meanwhile, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, who fears for the future of minorities in Syria, that "the regime in Syria is over," adding, "this is a certainty, and not an expectation." Will Russia base its policy on a losing horse, or will it be convinced of the need to change its stance? This is what we will see in the deliberations by the UN General Assembly in the middle of the month, in New York.
