Syrian rebels get new vows of aid from 11 ‘friends’
DOHA, Qatar — The Syrian opposition’s major international backers agreed here Saturday to provide “all the necessary materiel and equipment” to rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
The agreement did not specify what kind of weapons would be sent or which supporters would provide what.
But officials attending the Doha conference said that both Saudi Arabia and Qatar are prepared to quickly supply shoulderlaunched antiaircraft missiles and armor-piercing shells to be used against Assad’s air force and tanks.
Despite offering a series of pledges of coordination and increased aid in recent months, the rebels’ backers have been divided and inconsistent in acting on them.
But officials insisted the new pledge was firm and specific in terms of both quantity and quantity of supplies.
“Something different happened today,” Secretary of State John Kerry said following a four-hour meeting of foreign ministers from 11 Western and Middle Eastern governments.
Because of Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons and the largescale i ntervention of Hezbollah and Iranian militia fighters in Syria’s civil war,” he said, “we have decided that we have no choice . . . but to provide greater assistance.”
Although the rebels have been receiving arms from Persian Gulf nations, reportedly including a recent influx of surface-toair missiles from Libya via Qatar, officials said the Doha decision will ensure a continuous, coordinated flow and procedures to ensure the weapons will be kept from Islamic militants. Officials from participating governments spoke about their closeddoor discussions here and in other recent talks on the condition of anonymity.
A European official described Saturday’s decision as a “collective answer” to desperate appeals from Gen. Salim Idriss, head of the opposition’s Supreme Military Council, in the wake of recent rebel defeats.
The Friends of Syria group includes the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Saturday’s session was the fourth time the 11 nations have gathered this year. But since their last meeting, barely a month ago in Amman, Jordan, the situation on the ground has turned sharply against the rebels.
The increasing rebel losses also set back plans to hold negotiations this summer on a post-Assad transition government.