Time is the father of truth, so goes the saying. But when the truth is out and is irrefutable, it is time for action as delays can be dangerous. This warning holds good for the international community which has failed to take any positive steps to bring an end to the bloodshed in Syria caused by the brutal regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has correctly said that Assad is maneuvering and playing for time. “Every initiative has been accepted by the Syrian regime, but none of them have been implemented. This is a way used by the regime to gain time,” Prince Saud said at a joint press conference with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Jeddah, last week. The time for monitoring, warnings and sanctions is over. It is now time for action. Every minute is fraught with danger for the people of Syria. How many more Hamas and Houlas will it take before the UN and the international community feel that they must act to stop the Assad killing machine? The US proposal for a Yemen-model transition, which Russia has shown some inclination to accept, is another time-buying tactic. And Russia knows it very well. It knows that it will take a lot of time to draft any transition deal. Such a plan will involve a series of negotiations, and in the end, the proposal will be dumped in the dustbin. But by then Assad will have gained much needed time. He knows that time is the best healer and that the world's memory is short. When his father Hafiz Al-Assad ordered the Hama massacre in February 1982 there was a hue and cry around the world against the scorched earth operation. But nothing was done. But this time the world community should not fail the innocent Syrian people. It is very crucial for the UN and the friends of Syria to finalize a plan of action and implement it with immediate effect. The plan can call for direct military intervention or indirect military support to the Syrians fighting the regime forces. It is time for shock and awe. This is the only language Bashar Al
