States pledge 'all necessary' help for Syrian rebels, WESTERN and Arab countries, including the United States and Britain, have agreed to give "all necessary" military aid to Syrian rebels to prevent them from being crushed by the Assad regime. Meeting in Doha, the Qatari capital,http://www.phoenixsun8s.biz/, ministers from the 11 main countries in the Friends of Syria group decided to "provide urgently all the necessary material and equipment to the opposition on the ground, each country in its own way, in order to enable them to counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies".
The deal could mark a turning point in the two-year civil war, which has left at least 93,000 dead. John Kerry, the American secretary of state, said the intention was to help change the balance on the battlefield after a string of victories for the forces of President Bashar al-Assad. "The United States and other countries here - in their various ways, each choosing its own approach - will increase the scope and scale of assistance to the political and military opposition," he said. "The continued bloodshed at the hands of the Assad regime and the increasing involvement of Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, threaten the very prospects of a political settlement and of peace, and the regime's use of chemical weapons crossed President Obama's and other nations' red lines."
Even as the Doha talks were taking place,http://www.bugsbunnys8s.biz/, Syrian government forces stepped up their attacks against rebel strongholds north of Damascus, the capital, while opposition fighters mounted their own offensive in Aleppo, the country's largest city. No details were given of what the military aid would be. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, Qatar's prime minister, said that "providing arms may be the only means of achieving peace". Ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Germany, France and Italy also attended the summit. All military support will be channelled through the Syrian Supreme Military Council, the foreign ministers agreed. Their aim is to prevent weapons from reaching Islamist rebel groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra, which is linked to al-Qa'ida.
William Hague, the foreign secretary, indicated that Britain was not yet prepared to send weapons, stressing the government's intention to "deliver more humanitarian aid" to "promote a political solution". The ministers had been "desperately concerned about foreign intervention in Syria by Iran and by Hezbollah" as well as foreign fighters crossing into the country from Iraq, Mr Hague said. "On the much-debated question of whether we should give lethal aid of any kind to the Syrian opposition, the position remains the same - we have taken no decision to do that." He added that any such decision would have to be debated in parliament. In another significant development, Jordan, which has been flooded with Syrian refugees, said it would host 900 American troops to guard against potential threats from the Syrian conflict.
Abdullah Ensour, Jordan's prime minister, said 200 of the troops were experts in training for how to handle a chemical attack. The remaining 700 would operate a Patriot missile defence system and F-16 fighter jets. It was reported by the Los Angeles Times last week that since late last year CIA operatives and American special forces had been secretly training Syrian rebels - understood to be between 20 and 45 at a time - to use anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. The covert US training,http://www.jordangrapes5s.biz/, at bases in Jordan and Turkey, along with Mr Obama's decision this month to supply arms and ammunition to the rebels, heightened expectations before the Doha discussions that Washington would ultimately provide heavier weapons as well.
The rebels have said they lack the weapons they need to regain the initiative in the war. Mr Obama has been deeply reluctant to be drawn into the conflict. Last year, he overruled Hillary Clinton,http://www.playoffs12s.biz/, then secretary of state, Leon Panetta, then the Pentagon chief,http://www.squadronblues13s.biz/, and David Petraeus, then CIA director, who had all urged arming the rebels.