There must be no bloodshed in the intervention in Syria

More than 1.5 million have fled Syria, 4 million more are displaced within other nations, meaning 30% of Syrian people have left their homes. Just to give an example, Reyhanli, one of the Turkish border towns in the southern province of Hatay where fifty-one people were killed with twin car bombs on May 11, has a population of 90,000, 50,000 of which is composed of Syrian refugees. There are some 400,000 Syrians now living in Turkey, nearly half of them sheltering inside camps with insufficient conditions. Of course they are more than welcome to Turkey; our doors are wide open to whoever seeks shelter in our land, however this is obviously not a solution to the suffering of 8.3 million people who are in need - not to mention the rest of the Syrians who are also living in fear - nor does it stop the ongoing bloodbath of the Assad regime. Since March, 2011 the death toll has risen as high as nearly 100,000 people, and most probably the number is far more; most of the victims are civilians. While the spirit of protecting human lives is pressuring the conscience of every human being to interfere with the intention to stop bloodshed, some writers overseas either secretly support this situation in one sense or kind of embrace indifference as long as they are not personally affected. I find this very unfitting. One of the Middle East experts that has disappointed me was Daniel Pipes, who has suggested overlooking the bloodbath in Syria and allowing both sides to destroy each other. In a TV interview, he restates his policy suggestion that West should back Assad, and keep Syrians killing each other. While he admits that his is not a humanitarian perspective, and offers this as a strategic view, we should remember that these are human beings we are discussing. I am against militant fundamentalism just like Daniel Pipes, and I am also against the communist Ba'ath regime: However, while innocent people are being killed on a daily basis, saying “Let us leave them to fight one another” is wholly unacceptable, unfitting against conscience and common sense. Considering this bloodshed, it is obvious that there needs to be an intervention in Syria. However, what matters is to ensure that there will be no loss of life. Syria has a very complex and intricate structure; thus any intervention needs to be well planned. First of all, an embargo - starting with air and trade sanctions - can be set in place. Secondly, world public opinion needs to be stirred up. They will be unable to withstand the pressure if the entire international public are fixed on them. We therefore need to establish a major shift in public opinion. In addition, since the most dangerous aspect of Syria is its air force, runways must be made unserviceable. Once it has been guaranteed there will be no loss of life, air bases can be bombarded so that the air force is immobilized. But I would like to reemphasize; it is essential that nobody be caught up in these interventions; it must be established that the area is empty. On the other hand, Assad must not be made to panic. It might prove dangerous if he is falsely under the impression he will be killed. He must be treated kindly and made to feel the aim is to save his life and his family. Since Assad is, in a way, seeking shelter behind Russia, Putin thinks he needs to protect him at any cost. An agreement can be reached between Russia, the USA, Turkey and the opposition parties: They can promise that Assad’s safety will be guaranteed, and that nothing will befall his wife and children. Since the opposition forces killed Qaddafi in a horribly humiliating way, guarantees need to be given that his honor will not be compromised, no matter what. And as soon as we stop the shedding of blood in Syria, there must be peaceful elections accompanied by international observers. Bashar Assad should be a candidate if he wishes, and if he wins in the elections, he can stay on. If the opposition is elected to govern, then they should be the ones ruling, or there can be some kind of coalition between Assad and the opposition parties. But the Syrian regime as it now stands is a dictatorship, and there must be legitimate and certified elections that will reflect the will of the Syrian people. Only in that way can a lasting and just peace come to Syria. Sinem Tezyapar is a political analyst. https://twitter.com/SinemTezyapar The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.