It is a measure of the desperation sensed by those trying to end the civil war in Syria and stall the onward march of Islamic State that a proposal for a UN mandate for the country has not been dismissed out of hand. The suggestion was aired this weekend by Gilbert Greenall, a veteran international relief adviser, who mooted the creation of a structure similar to the one set up by the League of Nations that administered Syria between 1923 and 1945.
While the idea seemed to come almost out of nowhere, there were hints that talk of a mandate had quasi-official roots. Reports mentioned support in Whitehall for an accelerated UN role.
The UK has – to put it mildly – a contested history in the region, and is now also involved militarily. So the intention could be for others – possibly the US and the Russians together – to pick up the proposal and run with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment