On 17 March, UNA-UK's Chairman, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, wrote to UK Foreign Secretary William Hague to convey the concerns of the Association's membership regarding military invention in Syria, and to call on the UK to support vigorously the US-Russia initiative for a conference.
At UNA-UK's recent Policy Conference, members from across the country debated the prospects for, and potential consequences of, military intervention, including the provision of arms to opposition groups. They concluded that while the appalling suffering of the Syrian people rightly required governments to consider all options, military intervention offered no real hope of breaking the stalemate.
In his letter, Sir Jeremy said that Iraq and Afghanistan were powerful reminders that relying on force without a workable political plan is a recipe for deep and prolonged trouble. He also warned that weapons sent to the country were highly likely to fall into the wrong hands, noting that the purpose of the recently adopted Arms Trade Treaty, which the UK had campaigned hard to achieve, was surely to prevent transfers in situations such as this one.
Drawing parallels with the Balkans, he called on the UK to be involved with efforts to create a framework for a solution, saying that even if the parties ignore it for a while "exhaustion will inspire alternatives, and time and lives will be saved if those alternatives have been shaped".
Update
The Foreign Secretary has now responded to UNA-UK.
Click here to read the reply from the UK Foreign Secretary
Click here to read Sir Jeremy's comment piece on this issue in the UK Guardian
Photo: Souad and her three-year-old son, who is disabled, fled their homes in Deir Ezzor to Al-Hassake city where they are living in an abandoned building without any heat or electricity. (c) WFP / Abeer Etefa. To find out more about the UN World Food Programme's work, click here
