Carnage in Syria

To make matters worse, the world is hopelessly divided over what to do about Syria which, as William Hague warned yesterday, is sliding into civil war.

Yet the Foreign Secretary is right to keep the pressure on Damascus in whatever way possible following the shameful decisions of Russia and China to veto the UN Security Council resolution condemning Syrian President Bashar Assad and calling on him to step down.

It is this lack of resolve on the part of the outside world that has directly encouraged Assad to strengthen his murderous assault on the city of Homs, adding to carnage which has claimed 7,000 lives across Syria in the past year.

Yet the impetus for the West to confront Assad arises not merely from the appalling bloodshed.

With Syria occupying a vital position in the Middle East, bordering Israel and allied with Iran, a lengthy civil war would feed religious strife and further destabilise an already dangerous part of the world.

The outside world, therefore, has a duty to its own interests to act, as well as a responsibility to help the civilians being slaughtered daily.

Military action may not be an option, but this should not stop Mr Hague doing all he can to bring the international community together and demonstrate to the world that Syria under Assad has no future.