Russia: US drive to arm Syria rebels hurts chances for peace
Russia: US drive to arm Syria rebels hurts chances for peace | JPost | Israel News.
MOSCOW – Russia accused the United States on Wednesday of stalling chances for peace in Syria by pressing ahead with plans to arm rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad.
Russia is at loggerheads over the conflict with its United Nations Security Council partner, the United States, where President Barack Obama can now move forward with arming rebels after easing some congressional concerns.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a press conference that Washington’s plans would undermine joint efforts to organize an international peace conference on Syria that he agreed to with his US counterpart, John Kerry, in May.
“If our American partners are now focusing on arming the opposition and are sharing plans… to strike Syrian government positions, then this, of course, runs against agreements to hold a conference,” he said.
“That goes against our joint initiative.”
The chances of bringing Syria’s divided opposition and Assad’s representatives to the negotiating table have faded in recent weeks, and help from Hezbollah has tilted the situation on the ground in Assad’s favor.
More support from the United States could help the rebels push back. U.S. forces could help in various ways, the top U.S. military officer has said, from training to enforcing no-fly zones or conducting limited attacks on military targets.
CIVILIANS TRAPPED
The Red Cross has accused Syrian authorities of blocking access to the old city of Homs, where trapped civilians are in dire need of food and medical supplies.
“We have been trying for close to 20 days now to bring medical supplies and other aid to the old city of Homs,” Magne Barth, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Syria, said in a statement Wednesday.
“Despite lengthy negotiations with both sides, and three trips back and forth between Damascus and Homs, we have still not received the go-ahead from the Syrian authorities,” he said.
REBEL SUPPORT
Meanwhile, Qatar’s new emir will keep helping Syrian rebels until Assad’s rule ends, Syria’s opposition envoy to Doha said Wednesday, seeking to dampen speculation the rich Gulf state had scaled back its role in supporting the revolt.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has not made a detailed statement of foreign policy priorities following his accession last month, and some analysts have speculated the country is rethinking its backing for Arab Spring rebellions.
Under the previous emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the tiny Gulf state had been among the most prominent regional backers of Syria’s rebels, providing them with military and financial support and calling for an Arab force to end bloodshed if international diplomatic efforts fail.
Nizar al-Haraki, ambassador of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) to Doha, told Reuters that Qatar would continue to support the coalition despite Sheikh Hamad’s abdication.
“I met with Sheikh Tamim and congratulated him on his new role as emir, and I expressed the importance of continuing support to Syria and he told me that Qatar will continue to support Syria,” Haraki said in a telephone interview.
Haraki declined to be drawn on whether Qatar specifically was continuing to supply weapons to Syrian rebels groups, but said a number of Arab countries were providing military support. He said he had no details on the equipment that was being sent.
He added that proof of continuing Qatari assistance came a few days ago when Qatar gave $5 million to the SNC to purchase humanitarian aid supplies.
Moreover the newly-elected leader of the SNC, Ahmad al-Jarba, is planning to visit Qatar within days to coordinate aid supplies, Haraki added.
Last week, Jarba met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz in the kingdom. No official details were released about that meeting.
In recent months, dominant Gulf Arab power Saudi Arabia has prevailed over Qatar to impose itself as the main outside force supporting the Syrian rebels, a move that may curb the influence of Qatari-backed Islamist militants.
Haraki said in answer to a question that he did not expect Jabra’s visit to Qatar to cause diplomatic friction between the SNC and Saudi Arabia.
“Qatar and Saudi Arabia are both brotherly countries and have good relations and there are no sensitivities about al-Jarba coming to Doha,” he said.
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WarSclerotic 
July 24, 2013 at 5:39 PM
There was never any agreement russia was warned from April that it had two months to back down and pull out or the russian homeland would be in jeopardy as well as assad russia has broken every agreement it has ever made with the west russia better watch out as the jihads are planning on moving to russia at the earliest opportunity they also claim that they intend to give the russians a show that would make 9 11 look like a picnic,russia and assad are now on notice and have about two weeks left to live,we fully intend to now arm all of russias enemy’s there will be no Geneva 11,russia made that choce when it decided to give hezbollah advanced weapons,,,,,DEATH TO RUSSIA may they burn in hell
July 24, 2013 at 6:08 PM
Justice…
I’m confused about your position visa vis the Russians.
On the one hand you claim that they are behind all the trouble in the Middle East and need to be stopped.
At the same time you denigrate their military capabilities to the point of ridicule.
I have no use for the current “robber baron” state of Russia, nor am I worried about their military so I suppose I agree with you to a certain extent.
Where you lose me is in insisting that the conflict between Israel and radical Islam is a side show of the conflict between Russia and the West.
IMHO, the Russia/West conflict is a matter of money and power. Radical Islam represents an atavistic celebration of violence and ethnocentrism.
Look around the world and count how many places are torn by violence because of Russia. Now count the number caused by radical Islam.
If Russia is not a great military power nor is it behind much violence in the world, why do you focus so intensely and emotionally on it?
You repeatedly refer to a deep enmity between Russia and the UK that I am ignorant of. It sounds like cold war paranoia at times.
Justice, my friend… What gives?
July 24, 2013 at 7:21 PM
the point i am really making is that russia is exploiting the conflic with radial islam for its own financial and political gain no responsible state would do this the russian are in effect pouring petrol on the fire and providing a umbrella for groups such as Hezbollah and providing iran with the tools to build nuclear weapons backing its friend NK and generally trying to destroy all the progress that was made over that last 20 years,this startergy was there long term plan that they were working on from the seventy’s,its not going to go how they want it,the reason why they want to use the likes of iran a NK syria and NK because of there run down capability and plausible denial its as simple of that,its exactly the same stuff they have done for the last 60 years undermine the west,Its time people woke up before were all toast they must be stoped
July 24, 2013 at 6:18 PM
I have no personal problem with Russia, they are money motivated unlike Islam which as Joe said, has caused far more problems around the world. I take a different look at Russia’s military capability, I certainly would not ridicule it but it has some way to go.
Taking a look at the word today, and since 1991, and maybe Justice sees this too, I cant help but think that the East/West has ramped up. I’m too young to remember the cold war but it seems it never really ended, only changed form and is still driving western foreign policy.
The great game has simply entered a new and dangerous phase.
July 24, 2013 at 6:21 PM
The offical poluicy is now new hot cold war with the Russians and Chinese we look forward to another 70 years of confrontation,defense you need to read about angleton and his deflectors to fully understand whats going on
July 24, 2013 at 6:23 PM
Well if you have any links on the matter please post them
July 24, 2013 at 6:29 PM
Syria: disillusioned rebels drift back to take Assad amnesty
Hundreds of men who took up arms against President Bashar al-Assad are defecting back to the government side, The Telegraph has learnt.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10198632/Syria-disillusioned-rebels-drift-back-to-take-Assad-amnesty.html