Damascus (Xinhua) — Protests sweeping the Middle East and North Africa are not expected to be faced with silence by the West, but Syrian analysts on Wednesday warned against a military action in Libya launched by the United States and its allies.
Ahmad al-Haj Ali, a Syrian political analyst, told Xinhua that Arabs reject the U.S. intervention in states of the region. “Arabs are capable to solve their own problems without any foreign intervention,” he said. “It is the oil, not Arab blood, that Washington and its allies care about.
Arab League (AL) opposed on Tuesday the military intervention in Libya and urged the international community to adopt diplomatic and peaceful means before resorting to force. The step came in response to reports that the United States and other Western states were considering the military option against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
On Tuesday, U.S. warships sailed toward Libya as Washington expressed its concerns that the oil-producing North African country could fall into chaos unless Qaddafi gave up power.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday “we have to think about frankly the use of the U.S. military in another country in the Middle East.”
Syrian political analyst Omran al-Zoubi said the United States is considering repositioning its forces in the region and finding a pretext to interfere in Arab affairs. He hailed the Syrian call for the AL to hold an urgent session to reject the military intervention in Libya.
“Arab states are not expected to do much, but an urgent meeting will be a good step,” Zoubi said. “The violent power unleashed by Gaddafi loyalists against the Libyan protesters should not provide an excuse for military interference by other countries.”
