On the ninth anniversary of the chemical massacre, reconciliation means suicide

In August 2022, many official statements by the Turkish Foreign Minister were repeated, which indicated a new approach in Turkish policy towards the Syrian situation. The reports noted the need to start talks between the Assad regime and the Syrian opposition to reach a standard solution to the Syrian problem. The Syrians received these statements with a lot of anxiety and fear. Many protests took place in northwest Syria, which indicated the Syrians’ rejection of any form of reconciliation with the Syrian regime and showed their demands for any proposed political solution must adhere to Security Council resolution 2254. The Syrians recalled many crimes committed against them by the Assad regime, especially war crimes, such as using chemical weapons, while one of the largest chemical crimes coincided with these statements. Nine years after the documented chemical crime 9 years ago, The Assad regime attacked the opposition areas in the Rif-Damascus Governorate, with 8 -12 rockets fell on Zemelka and Ein Tarma neighborhoods in eastern Ghouta launched from Mount Qasioun, and at least 7 fell on Moadamiya in western Ghouta launched from Mezzeh military airport. The attacks happened between 01: 20 and 02: 40 am, using 330 mm surface-to-surface rockets, each capable of carrying 50-60 liters of chemical agent. These types of weapons were possessed only by the Syrian regime. Thousands of civilians had suffered from many symptoms consistent with exposure to sarin gas such as: foaming at the mouth; yellowed and bluish skin; convulsions; frozen and pinpoint pupils; itching; blurred vision; hallucinations; vomiting; loss of consciousness; and difficulty breathing, in addition to the Long-term effects of the attacks include lasting physical impacts and psychological trauma Despite all the international statements and condemnation, the absence of decisive action was a green light that allowed the Assad regime to repeat over 336 attacks with chemical weapons between December 2012 and May 2019, 140 attacks targeted the Rif Dimashq Governorate, 53 attacks targeted Aleppo, 52 attacks targeted Hama, and 46 attacks targeted Idlib, according to the Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute GPPI. These attacks caused at least 1961 deaths, and 18, 790 injuries, due to exposure to chlorine, sarin, and sulfur mustard gazes, 71% of them (1400 civilians) were killed in a few hours when the Ghouta attacks happened in August 2013. The use of chemical weapons was a part of a grand strategy that involved sieges and barrel bombs, it focused on causing maximum casualties, terrorizing civilians, and making peaceful civilian life impossible in opposition areas. International Efforts In September 2013, the Security Council issued "Resolution 2118" related to Syrian chemical weapons used by the Syrian regime in Eastern Ghouta on August 21, 2013. The resolution notes that the use of chemical weapons constitutes a threat to international peace and security and provides for establishing a committee to oversee the dismantling of the Syrian Arab Republic's chemical weapons program, subjecting it to strict verification as soon as possible. As a result of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission, in cooperation with the Syrian government, all chemical weapons declared by Syria were removed and destroyed outside of Syrian territory, but in 2014, new questions arose regarding the completeness and correctness of the Syrian regime’s initial declaration, and after 2 years the Declaration Assessment Team DAP reported that it could not thoroughly verify that Syria’s declaration could be considered accurate and complete. The FFM's findings were the basis for the work of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), and many reports, concluded that chemical weapons were very likely used in many places by the Syrian Armed Forces were responsible, and The COI issued shows the Government of Syria responsible for 22 attacks. Russia has used veto 17 times at the Security Council to block action targeting its Syrian ally, and Russian and Syrian officials consistently offered "alternative explanations" for the results of the regime's chemical attacks and tried to question the credibility of the OPCW reports. Reconciliation now means death Chemical weapons are considered one of the most Syrian regime crimes that have received international attention and follow-up. Dozens of reports and documents have been submitted about it, and it has been closely monitored and evaluated. Unfortunately, these efforts have not yielded any results yet, and those involved in this crime did not been held, the Syrian civilians didn't been protected, and the chemical attacks recurring dozens of times. On the contrary, the efforts by some countries have recently begun to normalize with the Assad regime, seek to have international acceptance, evade the political decisions, and convince the Syrians that there is no solution but reconciliation with this criminal regime. The Syrians know well the dexterity of the Syrian regime and its allies, Russia and Iran, in playing on the political margins and making gains. They remember well that the Assad regime has not adhered to any agreement or resolution that it agreed upon, starting with the de-escalation agreements in 2017 to the Russian-Turkish Astana agreement in 2020, where the Assad regime and Russia are still bombing civilians. They cause the dead and wounded. The Syrians also remember how the Assad regime circumvented many of the agreements guaranteed by its Russian ally, it arrested many civilians and activists in the areas of reconciliation and put a lot of pressure and a policy of collective punishment against those who agreed to carry out reconciliation to ensure that they would not leave their land. The file on the chemical crimes of the Assad regime is one of the dozens of files of violations and other crimes committed by this regime, which the Syrians are trying to remember and remind the world of. These crimes have confirmed clearly that this regime is not reformable and cannot be dealt with as a legitimate regime, as it is a dangerous regime that can generate many problems and crosses all red lines with it. Therefore, any unilateral political steps or attempts to resolve the Syrian crisis without international adoption is nothing but a suicide attempt to death. Without launching the transitional justice process, holding those involved accountable, and offering Syrians real guarantees of real political change can’t convince Syrians, They would rather die drowning at sea or freezing in the forest during the asylum journey than return under the rule of these criminals