Syrian Revolution ‘At Tipping Point’

The United Nations envoy to Syria said Tuesday that the country is at a “tipping point.”

Kofi Annan made the statement after meeting with Syrian president, Bashar Al Assad, in Damascus.

Annan said he conveyed to Assad the grave concern of the international community over the ongoing violence in Syria.

That includes the massacre of more than 100 civilians — many of them children — in the town of Houla last week.

A report by the U-N Human Rights Office Tuesday said most of the victims were shot at close range.

The Syrian government denies any responsibility for the massacre.

But the U.S., Britain, and other western nations have now taken the extraordinary diplomatic step of expelling Syrian ambassadors and other senior diplomats.

Martin Chulov, of Britain’s Guardian newspaper, tells anchor Marco Werman that the West has no stomach for a military intervention.

Chulov says Assad may call their bluff.

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Marco Werman: I’m Marco Werman. This is “The World”. The United Nations envoy to Syria said today that the country is at a ‘tipping point’. Kofi Annan made the statement after meeting with Syrian president, Bashar Al Assad, in Damascus. Annan said he conveyed to Assad the grave concern of the international community over the ongoing violence in Syria. That includes the massacre of more than one hundred civilians, many of them children, in the town of Houla last week. A report by the UN Human Rights Office today said most of the victims were shot at close range. The Syrian government denies any responsibility for the massacre, but the US, Britain, and other western nations have now taken the extraordinary diplomatic step of expelling Syrian ambassadors and other senior diplomats. Martin Chulov is following the story for the Guardian from Beirut in neighboring Lebanon. He spent last week in Syria. Martin, what is the latest on what happened in Houla and who did it?

Martin Chulov: The UN peacekeeping chief has said that he believes that the Alawite militia, the pro-regime militias, were probably responsible for what took place. We have spoken to a number of survivors from that massacre in Houla over the last couple of days. They all paint a picture of people who arrived in town from the nearby Alawite villages late in the afternoon on Friday or early on Saturday, knocked on their doors, asked for their menfolk, and started shooting.

Werman: You know, one video I’ve seen on YouTube of children killed, allegedly in the Houla massacre. I mean it’s gruesome. It’s heartbreaking, but there are also people around them, presumably anti-Assad people who are raising the babies and they seem to be exploiting the situation. What do you make of all that?

Chulov: In some ways that’s a fair criticism. In other ways they’re saying, “Look, we will do what we need to do. We will show you who we need to show in order to get the world’s attention here. We need help.” The world is focused on what has happened in Houla at the moment. This particular event his galvanized world attention and they’re saying, “This is our moment. We’re going to use this to make sure things change.”

Werman: Today, you and Envoy Kofi Annan met with top Syrian officials. What are they talking about at this point?

Chulov: They’re talking about his peace plan which was launched six weeks ago which basically involved both sides standing down and moving towards a negotiated peace settlement. That hasn’t happened, so Mr. Annan is in Damascus saying to Mr. Assad, “Look, this is your last chance. This country cannot sustain any more of this. Today we’ve seen a very strong international reaction, the first for quite some time, with a number of western states kicking out the Syrian ambassadors or heads of mission.” And the message very clearly to Mr. Assad from Annan is that, you know, it’s five minutes to midnight.

Werman: I mean last chance or what? I mean we’ve seen several last chances so far for Assad.

Chulov: And that would be the calculation that Assad would be making. I mean he would be sensing that the west are bluffing on this, that they’re not going to send NATO jets flying in across the horizon, that the Americans don’t have an appetite for any ground invasion or any military intervention at all. They’re also calculating, and probably correctly, that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States won’t do anything without the Americans taking the lead. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Assad calls their bluff.

Werman: I’m just curious to know, Martin, there in Beirut where you are right now, how are you sensing what Kofi Annan has called “a tipping point” in Syria? Is it evident? Does it feel like there’s a gathering storm of forces?

Chulov: There does actually. In the last couple of weeks there certainly has, across the border in Syria, there is a sense of a gathering storm. No doubt about that. The predominantly Sunni uprising believes it has reached a moment. It’s long past the point of no return. They have sensed also that help isn’t coming from the west and that is galvanizing for them. They are in the process of making decisions about “What do we do now? Who do we turn to?”

Werman: Martin Chulov of the Guardian newspaper speaking with us from Beirut about the current situation in Syria. Thank you very much, Martin.

Chulov: You’re welcome.

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