We Syrians know the complexity of the situation. We know how politics works under the table, so to speak, and the great conflict between the East and the West about certain areas in the Middle East. We understand this very well. I refer to the joint campaign of China and Russia against what is happening in the USA. The international community has a commitment and a responsibility to protect humanity. We cannot just watch. Awareness without action does not have any value.
The situation in Syria is serious and mass killings are happening in front of the eyes of the United Nations observers and are being reported by them. It is happening for real every single minute and any time lost without action being taken means too many people are dying, too many people are suffering and women are being raped. We should do something and take action against this system.
We are very frustrated and we feel the United Nations has failed to condemn the system. If there is a failure to condemn what is happening I do not see how it can take military action. Politics has always found a way to deal with a problem and if the international community is really serious about protecting the Syrian people it will do so. Sometimes we begin to doubt whether we are regarded as human beings by people outside Syria. They seem to regard us as less than human. I ask every member of this committee to look at what is happening in Syria because the situation is very serious.
Since Kofi Annan's plan was announced, a further 3,000 people have died in Syria. Every plan is giving the regime a false message. If a plan gives him six weeks to comply with certain conditions, he will take these six weeks to try to suppress the people, to go after them, to kill as many of them as possible. He thinks that by doing so he will suppress all opposition and remain in power. The people who took to the streets to say, "We are looking for our freedom" knew they were going to die and they do not care because this is the only way. Either we must survive with our full dignity or we will not go back home. He should understand that.
When another plan is mooted, people become frightened because they know this will mean more killings and everyone gets ready to die in the next two or three days. The more plans, the more killings, the more serious is the action taken against us. Talking about more diplomatic action plans will be interpreted incorrectly by the regime and he will take a false message. I am sure that politicians somewhere - I will not mention names - are passing messages by indirect means to him to say, "You have another two or three weeks to try to control things and if you do, they will support you remaining."
The independent international commission report stated that Russia has provided Syria with a full air defence system. However, Russia has told the commission that Assad will not be able to use it against people on the streets. However, that is what he is doing. He is bombing all our cities and he is striking at protesters from the air rather than from street level. We do not expect the international community to send troops into Syria to invade our land. We have enough people to bring him down but we do not have any military support nor any weapons to defend ourselves. We are hoping the international community will provide what is called a safe zone. This would at least provide a safe place for soldiers in our national army who refuse to obey the order to kill people. Most of them flee because they know they will be killed if they are tracked down by the Government, as will anybody who hides them. Their families are often killed and their homes demolished. In my city, for example, 190 houses have been demolished in these circumstances. In many cases where a soldier flees in fear of his life, the Government forces will demolish his house straight away.
The question of how to manage the transition to democracy is a difficult one. What we need, above all, is to stop the killing - that is the top priority. In addition, urgent medical aid is required in Syria. I am appealing to the committee to help us in this situation. The latest reports show what is happening to doctors and medical staff who try to help people who have been wounded. Government forces go around checking all of the public hospitals and any wounded person will be shot dead or doctors will be ordered to amputate arms and legs immediately. People are scared to go to public hospitals because they know they will die there or be subject to horrific interrogation. A person could have anything done to him or her. There are mobile hospitals which try to help people but the doctors running them have contacted us to say they do not even have water to give to people who are dying. We need urgent medical aid, that is the most important thing. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Joe Costello, for agreeing to meet us later today. We hope he will able to arrange for the delivery of aid to the Syrian people.
We are hoping to present a file on Syria to the International Criminal Court, ICC, but first we hope to catch Assad in Syria and bring him for trial in our courts. Let him have his fair trial there. If the International Criminal Court were to put out a warrant for his arrest, it would at least be a step in the right direction and would put great pressure on him in the sense that he would know he is no longer safe. When there is not even a single resolution to condemn him, he feels he is all right. If we manage to make the case against him to the ICC, he will know he is not safe and that he will be brought to justice at some stage.
The international community has a responsibility to protect the Syrian people. There are three pillars of support, the first two of which have definitely failed in Syria. The United Nations knows the Government itself is guilty of criminal behaviour and the cause of all of the trouble in the country. On the first question, therefore, there is no need to ask whether protection is required for people in Syria. In regard to the second pillar, the United Nations has sent observers to the country and they could not do anything. The third pillar is intervention. When one talks about intervention, it does not necessarily mean military invasion. In Libya, for example, a safe zone was created and Gadaffi was subsequently ousted because the people no longer wanted him. In Syria we do not want Assad to rule us. Forty years of that dynasty is too long and we have had enough of it. In addition, if we talk about peacekeeping, we must talk about peace enforcement. Blue hats are not going to help us. We need people there who have a right to shoot anybody who is holding a gun against a civilian.
There has been concern expressed about the treatment of Christians in Syria. I am from a city whose neighbouring city is purely Christian. On 12 March Syrian troops invaded our city and there were several days of massive bombing. The entire population of some 50,000 fled and more than 5,000 of them are being hosted by Christian people in the neighbouring city. We live like one people, brother and sister, and have had a fantastic relationship over decades. We share the same emotions as our neighbours, we visit them at Christmas and they visit us on our holy days. The most vocal anti-Government activists in Syria are Christian, such as Michel Kilo, for instance. A Christian woman, Yara Chammas, who distributed medical aid and food during the attacks by Government forces in Baba Amr was jailed for 60 days. The Government is playing dirty propaganda tricks in order to give the impression in the West that Christians are under threat from their neighbours. The reality, however, is that Christians in our country are fully aware of the true situation. There was recent propaganda that an extreme Islamist had called for Christians to leave areas near Homs. The priest there has said this was absolutely not the truth. The message was for everybody to leave the city and remove themselves from danger, Christians and Muslims, in anticipation of a massive attack. The conflict with Christians is mainly a propaganda tactic of the Government, in the same way in which it is trying to pull us into a civil war in order to convince the world that it is only the Government itself that can restore peace to the country.
What will happen after Assad is gone is difficult to answer. For now, we must concentrate on stopping this horrific situation. Too many people are dying every single day. Once Assad is gone, wise people will sit down and find a solution that will create a fantastic environment for all of us, Sunnis, Alawis and Christians. We are all desperate to secure our freedom so that we can enjoy life like anybody else.