CAIRO -- No quick end to the Syrian crisis is foreseeable despite new efforts by the international community and the agreement on the country's transition roadmap reached by Syrian opposition groups in Cairo.
Fractured Syrian opposition groups finally reached a deal late night on Tuesday after a two-day meeting in a hotel in Cairo under the sponsorship of the Arab League (AL) and some Arab foreign ministers. They insisted on a political solution starting with the fall of the al-Assad government to end the 16-month-old crisis.
The two documents on which the opposition agreed, outlined the general features of the transition process and the nature of a new regime. The moves were indeed sort of progress made by the AL to solve the Syrian crisis and unite the opposition camp. The AL has been calling for the opposition groups to gather in Cairo since late last year, but the meeting has been delayed time and again partly due to coordination problems.
But the implementation of the deals remains doubtful and frangible, as serious rifts still exist within the opposition camp on the necessity of foreign intervention, continuation of U.N. mediation and leader of the transitional process, etc.
The presence of U.N. monitors failed to curb the country's violence which has caused a big number of casualties since last year. An escalation of confrontation between government troops and armed men emerged recently across the country.
The international community has continued to exert efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis. An action group comprising of world powers on Saturday in Geneva put forward the establishment of a transitional governing body, with full executive powers, as part of important agreed principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led political transition that would meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.
The step indicated a more substantial way to end the crisis on the international level, although no detailed arrangements have been made in this respect. But this has not won wide applause from the Syrian opposition, nor the official reaction from the Syrian regime.
After the turmoil began, the Syrian regime had offered some political reforms to include some opposition figures in political process. But the changes were not what some opposition groups had demanded. Their goal is the fall of the current regime.
Currently, both sides seem to be incapable of assuming absolute control over each other. The government has a largely strong army, while the opposition has had material support from some countries. It is extremely difficult for them to sit on the negotiation table.
Syria was hit by the unprecedented wave of anti-government protests which originated in Tunisia and soon spread in the region. Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya have had all their regimes changed, peacefully or forcefully. The Syrian situation was more complicated than that of any of the four countries.
As Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said recently that the country has been in "a real war". The time for the end of the war remains unknown. To worsen the situation, terrorists have taken advantage of the chaos to launch attacks. Civilians will continue to live in the abyss of pains until all violence stops.