Comments made by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in recent television interviews clearly establish that there could be no early end to the violent conflict linked to the anti-regime rebellion raging in his country.

Assad has condemned the US saying Washington’s policies were destabilising Syria by providing political protection for “gangs” in the international community. He also slammed Saudi Arabia and Qatar for their support for Syrian dissidents, whom he called “terrorists” in keeping with the official Syrian state media term for them, while faulting Turkey for providing them with logistical support.

He also reiterated that he continues to have domestic support. “The US are against me, the West is against me, numerous regional powers and countries are against me, if the people were also against me, then how could I still be in my position?” he said. Well, the answer is right there in Syria. The Assad regime remains in position only through the use of brutal military force. His military and militiamen have already killed and maimed thousands of civilians, including women and children, and continue to kill an average of 100 people a day.

Assad loyalists are by far better equipped than the rebel forces and are getting regular supplies of weapons from Iran and Russia.

There is a compelling humanitarian case for international intervention to stop the violence in Syria but the world community is prevented from doing so by Russian and Chinese opposition at the UN Security Council.

An initiative launched by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to solve the crisis remains only on paper. Annan himself has admitted failure.

There are also regional concerns. The Syrian revolt started as a political uprising against a dictatorial regime 16 months ago, but has morphed into a complex conflict that borders on civil war and now threatens to draw in regional states.

Diplomacy has definitely reached the end of its tether with Syria. The meeting last week of more than 100 countries known as the Friends of Syria could only call on the UN Security Council to adopt Annan’s six-point plan under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which would allow for further sanctions. Russia and China did not even bother to attend the meeting.

It is increasingly clear that the Syrian regime will continue its bloodbath against the people until such time it is completely satisfied that the last trace of political dissent is eliminated, even if it means the death of hundreds of thousands of people. Short of a rebellion by the Syrian military itself, the only option to end the carnage in Syria is external intervention.

Foreign military intervention could oust the regime and thus deal a major blow to Iran’s regional designs. However, it would also signal a stepped-up confrontation between the US and its allies on the one hand and Russia on the other.

The world community has to realise that the UN system, the very mechanism that was set up to deal with situations like that of Syria, has failed because of big power politicking. It is time the international powers dealt with the Syrian crisis without any UN context. Every day of delay means hundreds of murders in Syria.