[By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn]?

With the situation in Syria deteriorating, the international community is at the crossroads between war and peace.

Domestic strife and external pressure have caused the Syrian crisis. Syria is an Islamic country with Sunnis accounting for two-thirds of its population, while the Assad family, which has been ruling Syria for more than 40 years, belongs to the minority Alawite sect, a Shiite branch of Islam.

In June 2000, when his father died, Bashar al-Assad succeeded him as president. Shortly after coming to power, he introduced reform measures, such as releasing political prisoners and relaxing restrictions on speech, and began combating corruption and improving people's livelihoods. However, these initiatives encountered heavy resistance, and the reforms bore little fruit.

In fact, the Syrian crisis is being fueled by outside interference. The Arab League, which is composed of predominately Sunni-led countries that fear a "Shiite crescent" composed of Iran, Syria and Lebanon, issued ultimatums calling for Assad to step down. But these were rejected, so the league imposed economic sanctions against Syria and referred the Syrian issue to the United Nations, thereby "internationalizing" the crisis.

Turkey, which previously had close relations with Syria, initially played the role of mediator. But after its mediation efforts failed, relations between the two countries got worse, and Turkey now openly shields the Syrian opposition groups and rebels.

Meanwhile, Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Damascus, leading to the disintegration of an anti-Israeli alliance that had existed for decades.

Washington is attempting to further isolate Iran by pressing Syria, and the long-term sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western countries have shattered Syria's economy.

The efforts of the international community should be aimed at facilitating reconciliation within Syria.

With the violence escalating, the majority of civilians just want a peaceful restoration of national stability and social order. Therefore, seeking a political settlement to the Syrian crisis is a top priority for China.

China has sent a special envoy to Syria for talks with the Syrian government and opposition, in a bid to promote dialogue between the two sides. China's stance and diplomatic efforts are increasingly gaining understanding and recognition from the international community.

However, the West repeatedly denounces any initiatives aimed at achieving a peaceful end to the crisis, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton particularly vocal in her bad-mouthing of China and Russia.

On Feb 26, Syria began a referendum over a new draft constitution, which would impose a limit of two seven-year terms on the president and introduce multi-party elections. According to the Syrian government, 89 percent of voters supported the new draft constitution.

However, the West has dismissed the referendum as a "farce" and the "Friends of Syria" conference, which shut out the Syrian government, the key party in solving the Syrian crisis, was in reality a gathering of the friends of the Syrian opposition. The conference recognized the Syrian National Council (SNC) as the "legitimate representative" of the Syrian people and promised to increase support for the opposition.

There were some rational voices at the "Friends of Syria" conference. Tunisian President Moncef al-Marzouki told the conference, that to be a true friend of Syria means preventing as much bloodshed as possible, and that this will not be achieved by arming Syrians against Syrians, nor by foreign military intervention.

But the West has no intention of pursuing dialogue and supporting the democratic process in Syria, its sole aim is to topple the Assad government. Inside the US, there are voices calling for military intervention against Syria. The Republican US Senator John McCain said all options must now be on the table and called for Syria's opposition to be armed, ignoring the fact that more arms will lead to more bloodshed.

At present, peace and development are the trend of the times. If the West insists on attempting to realize regime change in other countries through military means it will only open a Pandora's box.

The author is vice-president of China Institute of International Studies.