India is keeping a close watch on developments in Syria as the mandate of an Arab League monitoring mission expired on Thursday and foreign ministers from Arab countries prepared to meet in Cairo on Saturday to ponder on what to do next.
As New Delhi awaits the next step of the Arab League, it re-emphasises the need for stability to return to that country and for all sides to return to the negotiating table.
“What is very important right now is to see how the Arab League is viewing the changes that have come about after the peace monitors went to Syria,” said sources.
Syria has been on the boil for the last 10 months following a popular uprising which the government, headed by President Bashar al-Assad, has sought to quell. Over 5,000 persons have reportedly been killed in the violent crackdown by security forces in Syria.
India has reasons why it wants peace to return to the region.
“This area is very important for us and we don’t want any instability in Syria which might affect the rest of the region,” said sources.
They added, “Stability is very important in the region for us for not only do we have a huge Indian diaspora of 6.5 million but also because the area helps meet our energy requirements. India also has a substantial trade and massive economic engagement with the region.”
Eager to see a dialogue between the various sides within Syria, New Delhi is also keen that the political reform process be initiated there.
In addition, it wants this process to be “all inclusive” where all concerned parties shun violence and come to the negotiating table. India would also like “the political aspirations of the Syrian people to be addressed”.
Equally, it wants that “the process should be Syrian-led with outside intervention being avoided”. Indeed, sources said this stance finds reflection in both the IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) initiatives on Syria.
The United Nations Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution in October last year condemning the Syrian crackdown after China and Russia vetoed it while India, South Africa and Brazil abstained from voting.