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| Children the collateral in Syrian civil war | Children the collateral in Syrian civil war |
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| David Cameron's attempt to blame the UN for the tragedy in Syria (Syria atrocities a stain on UN says Cameron, 27 September) is hard to take. From the beginning, the negotiations were sabotaged by calls from western leaders for regime change. Kofi Annan had talks with the Syrian president in March, and in April David Cameron was demanding that Assad be "called to account for his savagery". President Obama called for Assad to "step aside", and the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for "the international community to intensify our pressure on Assad and his cronies, whose rule by murder and fear must come to an end". At the same time, President Sarkozy added France's demand for regime change. | David Cameron's attempt to blame the UN for the tragedy in Syria (Syria atrocities a stain on UN says Cameron, 27 September) is hard to take. From the beginning, the negotiations were sabotaged by calls from western leaders for regime change. Kofi Annan had talks with the Syrian president in March, and in April David Cameron was demanding that Assad be "called to account for his savagery". President Obama called for Assad to "step aside", and the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for "the international community to intensify our pressure on Assad and his cronies, whose rule by murder and fear must come to an end". At the same time, President Sarkozy added France's demand for regime change. |
| Assad is a cruel dictator, but one whose co-operation was essential for a peaceful transition, and this shouting of threats from the sidelines while delicate negotiations were in progress must have been counterproductive. The chance for a peaceful transition in Syria lay in the UN/Arab League envoy providing a safe exit for Assad and his family. The fate of Gaddafi in Libya, murdered by rebels, and Mubarak in Egypt, jailed for life for killing demonstrators, meant that Assad would require reassurances for his co-operation. Instead, Western leaders were calling vociferously for his head. Harry Davis Thames Ditton, Surrey | Assad is a cruel dictator, but one whose co-operation was essential for a peaceful transition, and this shouting of threats from the sidelines while delicate negotiations were in progress must have been counterproductive. The chance for a peaceful transition in Syria lay in the UN/Arab League envoy providing a safe exit for Assad and his family. The fate of Gaddafi in Libya, murdered by rebels, and Mubarak in Egypt, jailed for life for killing demonstrators, meant that Assad would require reassurances for his co-operation. Instead, Western leaders were calling vociferously for his head. Harry Davis Thames Ditton, Surrey |
| Thank you for giving prominence to the effect of armed conflict in Syria on children. The situation in Syria, unfortunately, is similar to that in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where innocent civilians and children, in particular, are more likely to be killed than either armed insurgents or soldiers. Armed conflict affects one in six children worldwide, and it is no accident that the ratio of civilian to military deaths has increased over the last 100 years despite weapons becoming more sophisticated. It should be politically unacceptable to refer to the deaths of innocent children as collateral damage. Unfortunately, the death of innocent children in any of the areas worldwide where there is armed conflict rarely makes the news. We need to accept responsibility for the actions of successive British governments who have been involved in at least 17 different wars since the second world war and also have promoted arms sales to countries with a poor record on human rights. Imti Choonara Professor in child health, University of Nottingham | Thank you for giving prominence to the effect of armed conflict in Syria on children. The situation in Syria, unfortunately, is similar to that in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where innocent civilians and children, in particular, are more likely to be killed than either armed insurgents or soldiers. Armed conflict affects one in six children worldwide, and it is no accident that the ratio of civilian to military deaths has increased over the last 100 years despite weapons becoming more sophisticated. It should be politically unacceptable to refer to the deaths of innocent children as collateral damage. Unfortunately, the death of innocent children in any of the areas worldwide where there is armed conflict rarely makes the news. We need to accept responsibility for the actions of successive British governments who have been involved in at least 17 different wars since the second world war and also have promoted arms sales to countries with a poor record on human rights. Imti Choonara Professor in child health, University of Nottingham |
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