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A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 21, 2014, shows a general view of al-Hosn village in the Homs region, about 200 kms northwest of the capital Damascus. Syria's army has been making advances against the opposition in recent days by exploiting divisions among rebel fighters and by relying on elite fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah, analysts say. (AFP)
A protracted military conflict in Syria may lead to its partition and this will have disastrous consequences to the entire region, King Abdullah of Jordan was quoted on Saturday as saying.
In an interview with the London-based Saudi Arabic language daily ‘Al Hayat’, the King said only a political solution would save Syria, where armed opposition groups have been waging a war to topple the regime since March 2011.
“All scenarios of partition in Sryia will have disastrous consequences to that country and the entire region. If the conflict drags on, it will open the door for fragmentation of Syria by the warring parties, he said.
“This will unleash endless waves of violence, extremism and hatred in the region and threaten to deepen the civil and ethnic conflicts, which will lead to dangerous spillovers across the border and jeopardise regional and international peace.”
King Abdullah, whose country is hosting more than one million Syrian refugees, said a political solution is the only way to end Syria’s conflict and “guarantee its unity.”
He said all Syrian parties should back the peace process even if it drags on and lead to Geneva 5 and 6 peace conferences.
“We must stick to a political solution involving a transitional stage and a comprehensive peace process to save Syria and avert further violence and destruction in that country and the whole region…the political option must not be discarded but the longer it takes, the costlier the conflict will be on Syria and its people,” he said.
“My advice to all Syrians, especially those who can influence the events, whether they are in the regime or the opposition, is to think about their country and to adopt a real dialogue for the sake of Syria and its future generations in order to bring this armed conflict to an end and save this unique multi-cultural and ethnic system.”
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