DAMASCUS, June 15 (Xinhua) -- A foreseeable political settlement to Syria's nearly 16-month-old crisis sounds easier said than done for the time being, for one thing, the escalating rate of violence in the country has evolved into aggressive confrontation between government troops and rebel fighters, for another, key international players have done little to help except blaming one another for the ongoing crisis.
Head of the UN observer mission to Syria said Friday that the ongoing violence "that has intensified over the past 10 days by both sides" nationwide is limiting the observers' ability to conduct their task properly, charging that there is a lack of willingness for a peaceful transition but a push towards militarization.
On Friday, four explosive devices were detonated in the capital Damascus, southern Daraa province and northern Aleppo city, leaving a number of injuries, some of whom are in critical conditions, while, opposition activists reported the death of more than 29 people across Syria, accusing the government of being behind the killing.
Maj. Gen. Robert Mood urged all conflicting parties to concentrate on dialogue, because it could help get rid of weapons and gunmen, adding that the spiraling violence in Syria has hindered progress in implementing Kofi Annan's plan, which calls for a full cessation of violence as a prelude to a political dialogue between Syrian rivalries.
Analysts observed that the Syrian government seems to have shelved all outside suggestions and chosen its own way: a military showdown to bring an end to the intractable crisis once and for all.
Since the very beginning of the 16-month-old crisis, the Syrian government has repeatedly made it clear that had it desired it would have settled the situation in a short time and got done once and for all with the anti-government movement, which started in the form of peaceful protests but evolved later into a bloody armed insurgency.
The Syrian government argued that it kept down military options out of concerns for the lives of civilians as the alleged gunmen are reportedly hiding in residential areas of restive cities across the country, as well as in a bid to give a chance for a political settlement.
However, the escalation of violent acts and attempts by the so- called rebel Free Syrian Army to take battles to President Bashar al-Assad's main stronghold, the capital Damascus, have represented a milestone in the Syrian crisis, analysts said.
The growing violence in Syria has recently involved more bombings, mass killings and overnight clashes that could be heard reverberating across the capital every day. The clashes are mostly being carried out around Damascus, but its sound echoes through.
Outside the country, Russia accused the United States of arming the Syrian opposition in its fight against the government, while, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton alleged that Russia sent combat helicopters to Syria. Both sides have denied the accusations.
Hasan Abdul-Azim, a leading opposition figure at home, recently blamed some Arab and Western countries for lack of seriousness to push for the implementation of the six-point peace plan brokered by UN-Arab League joint envoy to Syria Kofi Annan.
The head of the National Coordination Body said in an interview with Xinhua that there is no full will from some Arab and Western countries to resolve the 16-month-old deadly crisis. He noted that the majority of Arab countries support the peace plan except Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which, according to him, apparently have an interest in the ongoing violence.
Abdul-Azim said the United States and Britain could have practiced more pressures on Saudi Arabia and Qatar to halt their alleged support for the armed groups in Syria.
Experts believe that had the international community truly desired to end the Syrian crisis, it would have been over in its first months. They contend that with each party supporting its allies inside the country, the Syrian citizens are the one paying the price.
Those who are feeding this violence by smuggling weapons, by providing anything that is feeding into this negative side of violence should refrain from doing this. More explosives, more arms, more weapons is not going to be a positive factor, General Mood said.
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