The uncertainty in the political landscape of Syria is reaching a climax due to the inconsistent strategies of the international community, particularly the U.N., on the Assad regime

Daily Sabah – The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution calling for a cease-fire and a political settlement to end the civil war in Syria. The resolution-confirming decisions, made earlier in the Vienna meetings, projects a road map to form a unified government and calls for a cease on any attacks against civilians.

The draft of the resolution in question was discussed on Dec. 15 when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Moscow, where he stated, “The U.S. and its partners were not seeking so-called regime change.” The White House later clarified that Washington’s previous policy still remains unchanged, that “Assad must go,” but it is obvious that the U.S. wants the international community to focus more fully on DAESH and other terror groups.

Resolution 2254 on Syria was described as a major step by Kerry but it was unanimously adopted just because it included no mention of the future of Assad –the main cause of what has been happening in Syria. It’s normally impossible to reach plans for a solution without discussing about the man who let mass protests turn into bloodshed, who killed his own people with barrel bombs, chemical weapons, torture and starvation. However, in order to adopt a decision, the UNSC found a solution by giving the head of all trouble a secondary role.

Also, it is still unclear to what extent Assad and Syrian opposition forces can be influenced by the will of the international community. The Assad regime rejected any political transition period and refused to discuss negotiations with the opposition groups. Assad said last month, “Nothing can start before defeating the terrorists who occupy parts of Syria.” The DAESH has found a space to be born from the ashes of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and has swelled into a giant monster, thanks to the brutality and mass killings of the Assad regime. But, it’s not the only case: Assad considers anyone fighting against his regime to be terrorists.

In the meantime, Syria’s Foreign Minister Waled Moallem said during a visit to Beijing this week that his country was ready to participate in peace talks in Geneva “without any foreign interference.” Without explaining what he meant by “foreign interference” and as nearly all the superpowers and regional powers are already involved in the conflict in his country, Moallem said that the Syrian delegation would be ready as soon as they receive a list of opposition representatives to the peace talks.

On the other hand, there has still not been any announcement given about the list of terrorist groups currently present in Syria. As was decided in the Vienna meetings, Jordan has compiled a list of terrorist groups, but says the details and information will be released at the appropriate time. According to media reports, the list comprises not only DAESH or Al-Nusra, but also around 160 groups on the ground which include some of the most powerful forces fighting both Assad and DAESH. We can expect that Hezbollah and the Iran-led Shiite militias will probably be on the list, as the list is endorsed by Russia.

Jordan’s list is expected to include some groups that were part of the opposition committee set up in Riyadh two weeks earlier and will likely reiterate their main demand that Assad should not be a part of the transition period. That raises the important question of how an agreement will be reached over the list and, in the case of a proposed cease-fire, how that would be established when the most powerful forces fighting against Assad are excluded and labeled as terrorists.

Within the next 18 months, how can free and fair elections be held under U.N. supervision if a truce has not been reached and the Assad regime has still not proposed a plan that includes foreign interference from the refugees who have fled and refuse to return until Assad leaves?

By: MERVE ŞEBNEM ORUÇ