THE UN General Assembly met on Thursday to discuss the Syrian crisis and how to end the repression of the Syrian people by the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. The meeting of the General Assembly raises a question: How long will it take the Arabs and the international community to find a way to end the bloodshed in Syria? With the recent Russian and Chinese veto in the UN Security Council of an Arab-initiated plan to resolve the crisis, hopes that the bloodshed will end soon appear dim. The vetoes demonstrated how world powers put their own interests before the welfare of humanity. In the case of Syria, the people are left to fend for themselves against the repressive regime and pay a high price for their desire to set up a democratic government that they hope will embody their aspirations. What is happening in the Middle East makes us wonder about the ramifications of the Syrian crisis and the Arab Spring and who is benefiting from the people's initiatives in pursuit of their aspirations for a better life. People should fight those who try to subvert their will and who try to use them to advance their vested interests. People should be aware that in many cases those who pretend to help them are actually using them as pawns. Meanwhile, reports have said that the Arab delegation to the UN General Assembly has dismissed as unacceptable Russia's proposed amendments aimed at weakening a draft UN General Assembly resolution that backs an Arab plan for Al-Assad to step aside. The Arab people should take note of this and never forget Russia's unreasonable position in advancing its own interests at the expense of the Syrian people who are paying a high price for their dream of freedom. __
