It is wrong of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to try to disown the actions of the Syrian army. As president of the country, the armed forces answer to Al Assad as the head of government, and he is responsible for knowing and authorising what they do.
The Syrian military has worked under presidential control for decades and continues to do so. Therefore, it is beyond belief when Al Assad tries to disown the army's actions by telling ABC News that "I don't own them. I'm president. I don't own the country, so they are not my forces".
If the military had acted outside Al Assad's control and had committed atrocities of which he disapproved, there would be public investigations and court martials already under way. This is not happening, and it sounds ludicrous when Al Assad tells ABC News that "there's a difference between having a policy to crack down and between having some mistakes committed by some officials. There is a big difference".
It may be that Al Assad has started to look for scapegoats amongst his own generals. If he can shuffle off responsibility for the killing and torture committed by the military, portraying them as actions of rogue elements in the military, he may try to distance himself from blame.
Syria appears to have agreed to the Arab League's plan, although full compliance seems unlikely given its record. The next few weeks will show if the military establishment which has ruled Syria for decades is still in control. If it is, it is very unlikely that any general will be court-martialled for killing civilians. This lack of action shows Al Assad's comments to ABC News to be designed for international consumption and nothing to do with what has been going on in Syria.
