シリア情勢 アサド政権がほころび始めた

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Jul. 23, 2012)
Assad regime appears to be fraying from within
シリア情勢　アサド政権がほころび始めた（7月22日付・読売社説）

The civil war in Syria continues to intensify.
　内戦は激しくなるばかりだ。

The fact that the U.N. Security Council is dysfunctional and has been unable to work out effective measures to end the civil war is profoundly serious.
それを食い止める有効策を打ち出せない国連安全保障理事会の機能不全は深刻である。

In the heart of Damascus, the national security headquarters was attacked by a suicide bomber on Wednesday. The attack killed senior government officials in a meeting, including the defense minister, the chief of the National Security Bureau and the deputy defense minister, President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law.
　シリアの首都ダマスカスの中心部で、治安機関施設が爆破され、会議中だった国防相や国家治安局長、アサド大統領の義兄である国防次官らが死亡した。

An anti-Assad regime group, the Free Syrian Army, claimed responsibility for the attack.
反体制派「自由シリア軍」が、犯行声明を出した。

Although security in Damascus had been relatively stable until recently, attacks by rebel forces in the capital have been occurring one after another since the middle of this month.
　比較的治安が安定していたダマスカスだが、今月中旬から反体制派による攻撃が相次いでいた。

The fact that the inner core of the Assad government has been hit directly in the uprising in spite of the regime's heavy security measures is of grave significance.
　厳戒をかいくぐって体制の中枢が直撃された意味は重大だ。

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No ceasefire in sight

A stream of defections has begun among the country's elites, such as the ambassador to Iraq and a brigadier general of an elite military unit. In addition, a large number of Syrian residents are fleeing abroad.
　駐イラク大使や精鋭部隊の准将などエリートの離反が始まった。多数の住民が国外に脱出している。

In combination, the armed uprising against the Assad regime and deepening isolation of Damascus seem to have made Assad's hold on power increasingly tenuous.
反体制派の武装蜂起と国際的な孤立で、アサド体制は内部からほころび始めたのではないか。

The forces loyal to the government, whose firepower is superior to that of the rebels, have embarked on fierce retaliatory strikes in Damascus and many other parts of the country.
　火力で優勢な政府軍は、ダマスカスなど各地で報復に乗り出した。

Both the government and antigovernment forces are bent on escalating the hostilities, and there are no signs of a ceasefire in sight.
政府軍と反体制派の双方が攻撃をエスカレートさせており、停戦の機運はまったく見えない。

Blame for the deterioration of the security conditions in Syria to this extent should be primarily placed on the Assad government. This is because the government, after expressing its intention to accept a six-point peace plan drawn up by joint U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, has failed to carry it out.
　治安がここまで悪化したのは、アサド政権の責任が大きい。国連とアラブ連盟の特使を務めるアナン前国連事務総長が示した停戦調停案を受け入れると表明しながら、実行しなかったからだ。

Prior to the expiration on Friday of the mandate of the U.N. observer mission in Syria, it is quite natural that the United States and European countries presented a resolution to the Security Council on Thursday, warning the Assad regime of additional economic sanctions. The resolution, however, was vetoed by Russia and China.
　国連の停戦監視団の任期切れを前に、安保理で米欧が、アサド政権に経済制裁を警告する決議案を出したのは当然である。だが、ロシアと中国が拒否権を行使して廃案となった。

This is the third double veto by Moscow and Beijing of a Security Council resolution addressing the Syrian crisis since last year.
　対シリア決議案で両国の拒否権行使は昨年から３度目だ。

The vetoes are part of a pattern of Russia acting in defense of Syria--with which Moscow has strong military ties--and China following along.
軍事的に深いつながりを持つロシアがアサド政権をかばい、中国が同調する図式が今回も繰り返された。

Russia should stop trying to help prolong the Assad government, but instead exercise its influence to end the bloodshed.
　ロシアは、アサド政権の延命に固執せず、流血停止に向けて影響力を行使すべきである。

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Spillover to wider region feared

It is regrettable that the Security Council has ended up adopting a resolution simply extending the U.N. observer force's mandate for 30 days.
　安保理が決めたのは結局、停戦監視団の任期の３０日間延長だけ、というのは残念だ。

Given that no ceasefire has been effected, the U.N. observer mission will be limited to such activities as on-the-spot inspections in the event of another massacre of residents of Syria.
停戦が実現していない中で、監視団ができることは、住民虐殺が起きた場合の現地調査などに限られよう。

In a meeting held in June between permanent members of the Security Council--Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States--and countries neighboring Syria, an agreement was reached on establishment of a provisional government comprising Syrian government members and members of the rebel forces. All countries concerned should increase pressure on Syria to materialize the agreement.
　米露中英仏の安保理常任理事国とシリア周辺国が６月に開催した関係国会合では、シリアの政府関係者と反体制派の双方が参加する暫定政府樹立で合意している。実現に向けて、関係国はシリア側への働きかけを強めるべきだ。

Japan has dispatched transport troops of the Self-Defense Forces on a U.N.-sponsored peacekeeping mission for the purpose of disengaging Syrian and Israeli forces in the Golan Heights.
　日本は、ゴラン高原でシリア軍とイスラエル軍の引き離しにあたる国連平和維持活動（ＰＫＯ）に自衛隊の輸送部隊を派遣している。

Further aggravation of the Syrian situation could destabilize the entire Middle East region.
シリア情勢のこれ以上の悪化は中東地域の不安定化につながる。

Japan, too, should keep a close watch on how things develop.
日本も注視する必要がある。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 22, 2012)
（2012年7月22日02時01分 読売新聞）