Senior diplomatic officials from the Unites States and Russia talked to Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN-Arab League joint special envoy to Syria, on how to stop the civil war in Syria. But the search for a "consensus" on a political solution came to nothing yet again, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

The crux of the talks is what role the current president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, should play in the political transition, or, in other words, if Bashar should disappear from Syrian politics as the political transition starts.

The civil war in Syria has been going on for 21 months. As the war makes the local situation more complicated and internationalized, the fate of Bashar more and more reflects a fundamental confrontation of two different ideas on the rationality that lies behind an enforced change of one sovereign country's political power.

The Syria issue let people see the predicament of international security governance and feel the snobbish and fierce power struggles behind the seemingly stable relations among big countries.

The military conflict has left more than 40,000 dead and half a million refugees homeless. The UN predicts that Syria will have 4 million people who need international humanitarian aid in 2013. The conflict has also damaged local infrastructure constructions and historical and cultural heritage.

The worsening situation indicates war will not bring peace, but rather, roil the country to its last breath. Regional peace and stability have also been seriously undermined.

The international community's consensus is that the only way out for Syria is a political solution and dialogue. The meetings of Brahimi and his US and Russian counterparts both emphasized the principle that Syria's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, and the political transition period should be led by the Syrian people. But Russia and the US have different ideas on the role of Bashar. And some countries are continually increasing their support for the anti-government opposition in Syria for their own interests, regardless of the escalation of tensions in Syria. Under these circumstances, it is obviously difficult for the UN to play a constructive role.

The key to solving Syrian issue lies in the hands of the Syrian people, who have the right to choose their own government. Yes, the international community should have a role to play in the process. The role must be unified, not divided. But some countries consider only themselves and pushing the Syria issue toward a direction favorable only to themselves.

It would be hard to realize a complete truce overnight. A cease-fire in some parts first is a rational and possible choice to prevent violence from escalating and to end the violence at last.

The lengthy chaos and civil war in Syria is not only a misfortune for the Syrian people, but it also reflects badly on the modern international community.