West pushes for 'regime change' in Syria, further complicates crisis

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- During a UN Security Council meeting on Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution on Syria, which urged President Bashar al-Assad to hand over his power.

After the vote, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a statement saying that France will seek further international support of the Arab initiative on Syria through setting up a liaison group.

However, many international experts believed that forcing al-Assad to step down goes against both the UN Charter and may cause further turmoil in the Arab country stricken by protracted conflicts.

DIALOGUE URGED

George Gabbour, an international political analyst and former parliamentarian in Syria, said in a telephone interview with Xinhua that the vetoes from Russia and China were "a new invitation for all Syrian parties to embark on a dialogue, which is the best solution to the current crisis."

Those who rejected the dialogue desired nothing but further violence and bloodshed, he added.

Gabbour also pointed out that a regime change imposed from outside was not in the interest of the majority of Syrians, especially when they were supporting a political reform rather than a regime change.

Abdelfattah Elsonoty, a Cairo-based expert on international relations, said even those Syrians who took to the street to call for reform were actually opposing Western powers' intervention.

Elsonoty also said that a military intervention by the West and some Arab countries could bring great uncertainty to the situation in Syria.