Opposition’s success in Syria a key moment

Almost every corner of the region is wrought with unease and the Syrian war remains at the forefront of issues, with the death toll reaching a quarter of a million, UAE’s Al Bayan said.

“Camps nearby have been flooded with millions of Syrians and what makes the matter even more worrying is that no solution seems to be on the horizon. The issue has been entwined in a dramatic fashion with the appearance of the terrorist group Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), which forced its way into the equation. The security of the world, and not just the region, is now uncertain. There is no place around the world that is truly safe from threats as terrorists expand their circles on a daily basis, particularly through their control over not just Syria, but also Iraq and Libya. This fire can spread to Europe and the US, which means that it is imperative to come up with a solution for the Syrian crisis as soon as possible, which will in turn restore some balance in global security.”

Commenting on the issue, Qatar’s Al Sharq newspaper said that the military successes achieved by the armed Syrian opposition in the battle against the oppressive Bashar Al Assad regime and its allies constitutes a new turning point in the bloody war that has lasted for four years.

“The Syrian opposition was able to take control of Jisr Al Shughur, a strategic city in the northwest of Syria. This is not simply a symbolic move, but also a strategic one because the city is a key supply route and also provides the opposition with access to the Latakia governorate, in addition to regime-controlled areas in rural Hama. This progress achieved by the opposition comes at a very important time, coinciding with the call by Staffan de Mistura, United Nations Special Envoy to Syria, to hold a new round of talks between Syrian parties next month in Geneva. These recent developments will have positive implications on the negotiations.”

The UN envoy is gearing up for another attempt to end the conflict but his approach now borders on the reckless, Lebanon’s Daily Star noted. “Over the past weekend, De Mistura did it again, arguing that Iran should be invited to a proposed Geneva III discussions on Syria’s future, because the Islamic Republic has influence in Syria and an ‘impact’ on what is taking place. By this logic, and according to the logic of the Syrian regime, a global conspiracy is underway against Damascus, with dozens of countries having an impact on the war. De Mistura’s remarks are a sign of a dangerous type of approach, one that signals either extreme carelessness or a deliberate plan to prolong the conflict.”

Oman’s Al Watan said that those who are called ‘rebels’ in Syria are also labelled as terrorists when they are present somewhere else.

“It seems that lies are rampant in the Arab media. Terrorism is accurately labelled as such when it is present in Arab countries or different parts of the world, such as when it comes to groups like Daesh, Taliban, Ansar Bait Al Maqdis, Fajr Libya and others. However, when such groups and others are fighting against an Arab nation, regime and army, they are called ‘rebels’. This situation, and other facts and events prove that everything that is happening in Syria is the result of a conspiracy and is not related in any way to a revolution or the slogans raised by these so-called rebels,” the paper said.