1. Syria is undergoing a civil conflict between the forces of Bashar Al-Assad and opposition forces consisting mainly of the Free Syrian Army. This conflict has been going on for approximately two years and has resulted in the deaths of approximately 100,000 Syrians according to the United Nations. The MMIS will create the opportunity for the conflict to come to an end, for thousands of lives to be saved and for Syrians to have a democratically elected government.

2. If the MMIS does not occur, it is likely that the conflict will continue for many years and many more Syrian soldiers and civilians will be killed.

3. Following a similar situation in the region of Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, a multinational force intervened and ended the conflict saving many lives and allowing the Balkan area to achieve peace.

1. Recent multinational interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in significant problems. Despite successful democratic elections, there is still much unrest, terrorism and violence in these countries. Syria is similar to Iraq in that there are cultural and religious differences between communities ( Sunni, Alawite and Druze). In Iraq there continues to be violence between Sunnis and Shiites, and it is not clear if this same type of cultural conflict will manifest in Syria after the proposed MMIS.

2. Due to the ongoing violence and disagreements between communities in Iraq and Afghanistan, multinational forces have been compelled to remain in these countries for extended periods. US troops have only now handed back the last areas of control to Afghan forces after almost 12 years.

3. In performing their duties, Australian forces are likely to kill Syrian soldiers and it is highly likely that Australian soldiers will be killed or seriously injured. It is also highly likely that there will be civilian deaths as a direct result of the MMIS.

4. The cost to Australia of participating in the MMIS is estimated to be $1.6 billion.

5. Whilst the UN Human Rights Committee has passed a resolution condemning the Syrian Government for it's deadly crackdown, the UN has not sanctioned the invasion of Syria. Therefore, the legality of the proposed MMIS under international law is not clear.