When the Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salihi, says that “the situation in Damascus is normal and calm and that there are no worrisome problems in Syria;" and when the Russian foreign minister does not hesitate to assert that the Syrian regime is still “strong" and that there is no reason to call on the president to step down, then it is only natural that Damascus should scoff at the offer that the Arab foreign ministers made to Al-Assad and which consists of securing a safe exit for him and his family; and the calls directed at the opposition to form an interim cabinet. The calls of the Arab foreign ministers are based on the fact that the Arab League has given up on the political solution and has started to look into ways to arrange for a power transfer in Syria. The offer of the Arab League has no chance of being implemented on the ground, just like the western call directed within the Security Council, which consists of imposing the plan of the International Envoy, Kofi Annan, forcefully under Chapter Seven. The double Russian Chinese veto is paralleled by another double veto in Damascus and in the face of the Arab League's resolution. This other veto consists of the Al-Assad family members and relatives who form the main army officers. These people believe that their exit from the political scene, whether peacefully or by force, implies the end for them all. Thus, their only choice is to resist until the end. The leaders of the Syrian regime believe that the war they are staging is an existential one and that they will not be leaving Damascus in the manner suggested by most Arabs. Since a long time ago, Damascus has dumped the instructions of the Arab League in a waste bin and nothing will push it to re-consider them now. Damascus believes that the Arab League, through its position vis-à-vis the Syrian regime, is providing the cover for the war staged by the “armed terrorist gangs" against the regime. Moreover, Damascus believes that it is staging this war, with a great deal of merit, against the “internal enemies" as per the Syrian president. It does not care for the fact that its army is actually launching a war against the Syrian cities, including the capital, with the aim of controlling them by force under the slogan of cleansing the cities from the “terrorist remnants." In addition, the Syrian regime does not care for the fact that the “armed gangs" now include the majority of the Syrian people. Thus, the regime is practically launching a war against its own people in order to impose its authority by force. When the regime follows such logic and when it proceeds according to its own whim, then threatening this regime of dropping the card of the political solution and replacing it with the call for power transfer becomes a waste of time while the numbers of dead victims and the destruction of the cities are increasing. President Al-Assad has asserted on several instances that he enjoys a great deal of popularity among his people. He said that, whenever he feels that he has lost this popularity, he will step down immediately. Today, he must be asking himself the following question: why are they calling on me to leave my capital? Why are they asking for the transfer of power to another government while I am the legitimate president? Most certainly, President Al-Assad is not only receiving advice from his relatives and entourage, but there are also allied countries and organizations that give him similar statements to those of the Russian and Iranian foreign ministers. In conclusion, Syria is now beyond the phase of political solutions. The safe exit is no longer acceptable and the peace transfer of power is no longer a possibility even if the opposition, in light of its well known dismantlement, were to succeed in forming an interim cabinet. Syria is proceeding in a bloody path and no one knows how this will end and whether Syria will remain the Syria that we know at the end, or whether it will break into racial and sectarian groups like the ones that are currently taking part in the war on its land.
