Syria: U.S. and Britain call a halt to equipping rebels
Damascus (
AsiaNews) - The United States and Britain have suspended the sending of
non-lethal weapons - equipment , armored vehicles, materials for communications
- to Syrian rebels , but will continue to send humanitarian aid. London and
Washington have decided to sever ties with the rebels because of the continued
growth of jihadi groups which in a few months have supplanted the troops of the
Free Syrian Army, now the only non-confessional opposition group.
Last
week, the fighters of the Islamic Front, a coalition that represents the seven
major jihadist movements on Syrian territory expelled FSA formations from their
Bab al-Hawa rebel stronghold on the Turkish border . Yesterday,
Josh Earnest, White House spokesman confirmed that after the events of Bab
al-Hawa the United States "have suspended the delivery of materials and
non-lethal means of assistance for the rebels stationed in the north of
Syria." London
also is concerned about the extremist drift of opposition to Bashar al- Assad. Hugh
Robertson, the British under - secretary of state , told the BBC that although
" for the time being no equipment has fallen into the hands of Islamic
militants , it is reasonable to suspend supplies as long as there are questions
about what is happening " in the ranks of the rebellion.
So
far the U.S. government has sent equipment to the rebels to the tune of 181
million Euro , while Britain about 24 million Euro. The
so-called non-lethal weapons consist of equipment designed to improve the
efficiency of the guerrillas, including 4X4 vehicles , armor , generators,
water purification kits, medicines, and gas masks .
In
view of the Peace Conference in Geneva January 22 to 24, 2014, Gulf nations,
Iran , Europe and the United States have begun to define their positions aimed
at finding a solution to the Syrian conflict, which over three years has cost
more than 120 thousand dead and millions of displaced
. According
to sources close to the organizers of the event at least 32 countries will be
present in Geneva . In
addition to the five permanent members of the Security Council (United States,
Britain , France, Russia and China) , delegates from Iran and Saudi Arabia will
also participate in the Conference on opposing sides , the first supporting the
regime of Bashar al Assad
, the second supporting and funding opposition groups . Each
delegation will be composed of nine members and also the opposition and the
regime will have to submit their lists. The
deadline for participation expires on 27 December, but there may be some
extensions to enable as many countries as possible to participate. During
a visit to Tehran, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister stressed the
importance of the peace conference by stating that "all responsible
countries must do something to achieve a positive result". "Those
who are against it - he added - show a lack of commitment to meet the demands
of the international community."
The
preparation of Geneva II and the partial rehabilitation of Iran led by Hassan
Rouhani is putting a strain on the cohesion of the Gulf States . On
10 December, the Council of Cooperation of the six monarchies of the Gulf (GCC
) met in Kuwait without the representatives from Oman, the United Arab Emirates
and Saudi Arabia who are at odds over the future confederation of monarchies
wanted by the Saudis, but also because of divergent positions towards the
historic enemy Iran. The
meeting monarchs have called for the withdrawal of all "foreign forces
from Syria," in reference to the fighters of the Lebanese Shiite movement
Hezbollah and the Iranian military advisers who support the army, loyal to
President Bashar al- Assad. The
leaders also condemned the ongoing genocide against the Syrian people carried
out by the regime of Bashar al - Assad.
.png)
