UNSC resolution on Syria

THE resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on Syria is a breather for a whole world. It puts on hold, at least for now and hopefully for good, any escalation in the conflict within Syria and any increase in tension around the globe. More importantly, the resolution is a sign of how diplomacy, given due emphasis in significant capitals of the world, can yet do all that is needed to roll back a crisis. With the United States in bellicose mood, with the British parliament having vetoed London's entry into a joint military programme with Washington over Syria, with the Russians not ready to countenance any strike on Syria, it was fair to suppose that all hell would break loose once again in the Middle East.
Well, hell has not broken loose. What remains to be done is for all parties to the conflict, especially the Assad regime, to convince the world that it will not do anything that will lead to the killing of more civilians in the country. At the same time, with suspicions about sarin nerve gas being used by anti-Assad rebels cropping up as well, the Syrian resistance must convince the world that its intentions remain focused on the creation of a decent, democratic Syria. That of course takes one back to the question of what President Bashar al Assad needs to do to help his country transit to a new, transparent political order. The regime is clearly damaged goods. It must rise above its naïve belief that it can carry on in power without accommodating those who want to see its back.
Now that the UNSC resolution is in place, serious efforts must commence toward effecting a political transition in Damascus, a point not missed in the resolution. Syria must not be destroyed any further.