Friends of Syria - Last hope for opposition?

A conference of European and Arab nations and the US is seeking to further isolate the Assad regime. Rolf Mützenich, the Social Democrat's foreign policy expert, spoke with Deutshce Welle about what can be done. Rolf Mützenich is a German parliamentarian and foreign policy spokesman for the Social Democratic parliamentary group.  DW: What kind of signal can this "Friends of Syria"conference send? Rolf Mützenich: It can upgrade the Syrian National Council, an umbrella group which encompasses a great part of the opposition. That can become an important feature of this conference, especially in light of the fact that the Council has been invited to take part in the conference. Another important signal is the fact that this conference is taking place in Tunisia - the country in which the revolutions in the Arab World started. And thirdly, the conference's importance stems from the fact that most Arab states are taking part and have remarkably taken a leading role in resolving this conflict. Should Germany recognise the Syrian National Council as the diplomatically legitimate representative of the Syrian people? That is not a step which should be taken bilaterally, it is a step which needs to be coordinated within the European Union. But I don't think this question of status is decisive. What counts is to make clear to the Syrian opposition that it should gather under the umbrella of one organisation, and that it should voice common demands. That would make it much easier for the international community to meet these demands in an international contex. DW: Hw do you assess the role of Russia, which is boycotting the conference? Do you think there is a chance to get Moscow to stop blocking a resolution in the UN Security Council? RM: That is something we have to try every day anew. I'm very disappointed about how Russia has acted. By vetoing a resolution in the Security Council which had already been drafted to meet many Russian concerns, Russia has taken on great responsibility. Now it is up to Russia to do its part to resolve the crisis by putting pressure on the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Especially when it comes to providing access for humanitarian help. DW: What can this access to humanitarian help look like? RM: We have to offer assistance to Turkey and other countries neighboring Syria which agree to take in refugees. Also, the European Union needs to adopt a more coordinated approach, especially regarding refugees. They should not be rejected anymore, and they need to be given a perspective. DW: The UN has taken first steps to put Syria's president, Bashar Al-Assad, and other members of his government before an international court for committing crimes against humanity. Do you think that makes any impression on the regime? RW: I'm at a bit of a loss to say what step can make an impression on this regime. If charges were actually brought against Assad, maybe that could achieve something, especially if this happened under the rule of international law. In any case it is necessary to initiate an international court case. The United Nations can play an important role in bringing this about, most of all in terms of coordination.  DW: Is it not also necessary to pass stricter sanctions against the Assad regime? RW:It is possible to pass stricter sanctions - but that's a step that makes sense only if the sanctions really target the regime's individual representatives. That would be the case if all UN member states participated. But since that is not the case so far, we have to increase pressure on those states which have so far not joined in passing and enforcing sanctions.