AS I prepared for the day ahead yesterday, I was drawn into a segment on morning radio about the conflict in Syria. The presenter had asked an expert who had been invited on to discuss the issue of what the point of a ceasefire was, as it only seemed to allow those groups fighting to regroup and prepare for the next round of attacks.
The reply immediately grabbed my attention.
The point was made that if you view war as between different “sides” that may be true, but the vast majority of those affected by war are not combatants, they are innocent men, women and children who are victims, not perpetrators of violence. They are suffering, they are hungry and they are very, very scared.
The sad truth is that war is waged on people, not on governments.
Ceasefires, like the one we’ve seen in Syria over the past week, are important because even a few hours’ relief from the grim reality of war can be the difference between life and death. A respite from the fighting, however short, can mean that those caught up in the middle can venture out to see relatives and friends, take time to try and mentally and physically recover from their ordeal, or just use the opportunity to visit the market and buy food in relative safety. If only one aid convoy makes it through the gap in the fighting to deliver vital supplies of food or medicine to those who are cut off from the outside world, that can be the difference between life and death for already vulnerable people.
That’s why the attack on Monday on a convoy of Syrian Red Crescent aid trucks is such an abominable act.
As aid workers unloaded supplies of wheat, winter clothes and medical supplies from their trucks at a warehouse in Urem al-Kubra, near Aleppo, an area controlled by rebel forces, 18 vehicles were destroyed from the air. At least 12 of those people delivering the supplies were killed while trying to help others.
The prevailing view appears to be that the convoy was deliberately targeted by Russian or Syrian forces who knew the details in advance. Both have denied their forces were involved in the strikes. Those responsible should be held to account for their actions.
The wider fallout from Monday’s atrocity means that the UN have now suspended all aid convoys in Syria. For the time being there will be no more deliveries of food to those who are starving, or medicines to those who are sick or injured. As the winter arrives and the temperatures plunge, those left behind will be at the mercy of the cold. This is a crisis of unspeakable proportions.
That’s why all those involved can’t let up on the diplomatic efforts to secure peace for the Syrian people.
Five years of bombing and fighting has killed more than 400,000 civilians while some estimates state that since the start of the civil war over 11 per cent of Syria’s population has been killed or injured. The report, by the Syrian Centre for Policy Research, said that 1.9 million – the equivalent to a third of Scotland’s population – has been wounded.
When the SNP Group of MPs voted against supporting air strikes in Syria last year, we said that the UK’s involvement in military action in the country would distract from our potential to lead international efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the wider conflict. I fear that our prediction may have been realised.
As a party to peace talks through the International Syria Support Group, the UK has a duty to use all the influence we have to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
In the build-up to war, the focus of the UK Government was on highlighting the UK’s unique access to world-class weaponry. Even this hasn’t prevented the mistakes we’ve seen this weekend, which ended in the mistaken targeting of Syrian army forces by RAF Reaper drones. We now need our government to demonstrate a laser-like focus on delivering peace if we’re to find any way forward from this five-year conflict and put an end to the suffering that’s currently being endured by millions of innocent Syrian people.
This has been a deadly, and a costly, war. If the international community are to work together to end this conflict, it must make peace a priority, and invest time and effort in making it happen. I fear that the Tory Government’s obsession with military solutions to complex problems is obscuring their judgment.
Whitehall ministers need to now focus their attention on the desperate plight of the civilian population in Syria, and how we use the influence we have in the world today to bring this bloody conflict to an end.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here