Syria's government continues its military crackdown on opposition protesters even after Arab countries and neighboring Turkey joined Western leaders in the chorus of condemnation. The situation is veering toward a worst-case scenario. The next move by the international community should be a UN Security Council resolution denouncing the Syrian leadership's violence against its own people.
Purges in rebellious communities across the country have continued into this week. There are reports of heavy casualties from the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, where more than fifty people died on Sunday, and from Hama, in central Syria, where about 200 people were killed over the past week.
The bloodshed in Syria is taking place during the holy month of Ramadan, adding to the indignation felt by Muslims across the world. In many Arab countries, people are calling television and radio stations to demand that the Syrian government's violence against its population be stopped. Syria continues to be front-page news around the world.
The outpouring of popular anger across the Arab world is too strong for national leaders to ignore, and many have come forward with diplomatic proposals to stop the killing.
The foreign minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu, will make an unscheduled visit to the Syrian capital on Tuesday. Ahead of the trip, U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton reportedly phoned Mr. Davutoglu and asked him to make it clear to the Syrian leadership just how dangerous their present course is.
The ultimatum to be sent through the Turkish minister may be followed by efforts to step up international political pressure on the Syrian government. Both the prime minister and the president of Turkey have repeatedly called the action taken by the Syrian authorities unacceptable. And the Turkish media have already hinted at the possibility of creating a buffer zone in border areas, including, temporarily, in Syrian territory if the situation in the neighboring country continues to deteriorate.
A senior official in Damascus, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Al-Thawra newspaper Monday that the foreign politicians attempting to halt the Syrian government's crackdown on opposition protesters fail to understand that Syria's stability is under threat from extremist militant groups. He made it clear that despite international pressure, the country's authorities will stay the course vis-a-vis the "extremists."
The Syrian state news agency Sana added that the "extremists" operating in the country are being funded from abroad. The agency pointed out that the Syrian authorities still enjoy the support of some loyal foreign allies, such as Russian lawmakers. To make its case, it cited an interview with MP Leonid Kalashnikov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma's foreign affairs committee, in which he criticizes Western leaders for their pressure on Syria.
The Syrian authorities' only official response so far to the growing discontent and neighbors' concerns has been a promise to hold new parliamentary elections before the end of this year. Foreign Minister Walid Muallem made the announcement on Sunday at an emergency meeting with ambassadors in Damascus. The ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and Qatar were not in attendance.
Qatar had to shut down its embassy in Damascus for security concerns two weeks ago, after the Qatari television channel Al-Jazeera had begun to openly express its support for the anti-government protesters in Syria.
The Saudi ambassador returned home "for consultations" several days ago. Right after his departure, the Arabic television channel Al Arabiya quoted a strongly worded message by King Abdullah. In his written address to the Syrian authorities, the monarch warned they would be swept away by the storm if they did not change course. The Saudi King, too, described the government-sponsored use of violence in Syria as unacceptable.
Similar calls have been made by two influential regional organizations, the Arab League and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. The Arab League's secretary general, Nabil al-Arabi of Egypt, said that the Syrian leadership should show wisdom by immediate ceasing of all acts of violence and the use of force against the population.
Many Arab leaders say that Syria cannot pursue reforms while at the same time carrying out purges. Real political reform can begin only after the guns fall silent. Yet few seem to believe that the Syrian government is capable of acting sensibly at this point.
Egyptian presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei has also come out with a strongly worded statement. "The world is watching the slaughterhouse in Syria. Shame on us," he said in a message posted Sunday on Twitter. "The peace of God be upon Syria's martyrs," he added, referring to the Muslim belief that those who die for a righteous cause during the holy month of Ramadan will immediately go to heaven.
President Bashar al-Assad, who has delegated the mission of maintaining law and order to the armed forces and has signed several reform bills into law, now seems to be at a loss, and this is an alarming sign. The Syrian authorities' increasingly violent reaction to developments in the country leaves observers wondering whether this is the beginning of the regime's end.
President Assad has not yet delivered his promised speech on the status of reforms - a speech announced a week and a half ago and welcomed by many as a positive development.
Syria's parliament opened its first emergency session on Sunday, but this was overshadowed by the ongoing fighting. The Syrian legislators are still in session, highlighting progress made in the reform process. But their upbeat reports will be stained with the blood of new victims of state-sponsored violence if the government continues its crackdown.
Yelena Suponina is a Moscow News political commentator and an expert in Eastern studies.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
