German Court Kindles Hope for Syrians
Justice cannot bring back life to the victims of the Syrian regime. It also cannot relieve pain of those subjected to torture at the hands of the criminals who work under this regime. But justice opens a window of hope that crimes will not be repeated and that those responsible for it will not get benefit of what they have done.
One of the victims of torture in Bashar Al-Assad’s prisons, commented on the jail sentence given by the German Court of Koblenz against Eyad Al-Gharib, one of the tools of torture and murder used by the Syrian regime, saying: “I hope that I will be able to sleep better tonight, and I expect that other victims also will be able to sleep.” What this man meant is that the absence of any punishment for the crimes committed by this regime becomes a reward for them.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also commented on it, saying: It is the first court order against one of those responsible for torture in the prisons of the Syrian regime. It is also a message to this regime that what it committed will not go unpunished.
However, the last ten years of the Syrian “revolution” have taught us that it is not always appropriate to be optimistic, as the criminal is in a German prison and Bashar Al-Assad is still at large and is ruler of Syria.
(by Ilyas Harfoush in Asharq Al Awsat)
Saudi Arabia and American Inertia
Former US President Ronald Trump often bragged that he had concluded large commercial, military and financial deals with Saudi Arabia, which reached to be worth around half a trillion dollars in the interest of the United States of America and the Kingdom. The deals were recorded to be the largest in the history of the two countries’ relations. It is also mentioned that the American-Saudi alliance is neither new nor established today.
But it is regrettable that the US policy, despite its stability, is focussed on serving its own interests in all the regions of the world, particularly in the Middle East. Therefore, wisdom, logic and reason demands a strategic position, in response of the new American stance, to ensure security in the region. It requires a deep study to formulate a preventive and proactive policy by the wise leadership of the Kingdom to absorb the American inertia and deal with the tensions created by the ruling sectarian regime in Iran.
To achieve this strategic goal, maximum assistance must be given to the Kingdom and the Gulf states to establish an alliance with Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish forces which have Iraqi national spirit and are far from regional and international influences. The work to enable the coalition to enter the parliamentary election process, which is expected in April, must start as soon as possible. The Kingdom has all diplomatic capabilities to make such coalition.
(by Gerges Gulizada in Elaph)
Compiled and Translated by Faizul Haque