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Category: Syria

  • U.S., allies agree on rules for sending military aid to Syrian rebels

    U.S., allies agree on rules for sending military aid to Syrian rebels

    By Roy Gutman — McClatchy Newspapers

    ISTANBUL, TURKEY — In a move intended to trim support to Islamist extremists who now play a leading role in the Syrian uprising, the United States, Turkey and key Gulf allies this weekend agreed to funnel future military aid only through the internationally recognized Syrian rebel coalition.

    It’s one of a set of steps that Secretary of State John Kerry and other western and Mideast officials announced early Sunday, in what appears to be a concerted new drive to end the two-year-long civil war that pits the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad, who enjoys support from Russia and Iran, against a diverse group of rebels backed by the United States, Turkey, and European allies along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

    Among the steps by the “Friends of the People of Syria” were a U.S. decision to provide another $123 million in non-lethal aid to the Syrian rebel fighters, doubling the aid to date, and a call by all 11 participants for a negotiated solution to bring in a new transitional government.

    They also condemned Assad’s use of ballistic missiles and endorsed a written pledge by the Syrian opposition to hold individuals responsible for war crimes and not to seek “revenge and retribution” against members of Assad’s Alawite sect or any other minority.

    All 11 countries at the Istanbul meeting “made a commitment to direct their military aid and assistance directly and uniquely, solely, through the Supreme Military Command,” headed by Gen. Salim Idriss, a former Syrian army general who defected last July, Kerry told reporters Sunday. “This may be one of the most important single things that was agreed to…that can make a difference to the situation on the ground.”

    How to provide aid to the rebels without empowering militant Islamist extremists who have been at the forefront of anti-Assad victories for the past year has bedeviled countries seeking an end to the Assad regime. The Supreme Military Command is poorly organized and its control of fighters on the ground is uncertain. Aid from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the primary providers of military aid, have dealt primarily with individual commanders on the ground, many of whom are affiliated with Islamist extremist movements.

    Idriss made a lengthy presentation at the meeting of foreign ministers Saturday evening, giving a rundown of the military situation, province by province, and describing in detail the forces that report to him. He assured the ministers that he would provide a full account of “everything you provide to me,” according to a diplomat who attended.

    Kerry told reporters everyone was impressed by the “strength and clarity” of the Idriss presentation and said the Syrian general “could not have been more clear about his determination to separate what he and the opposition are doing from what some of the radical and extreme elements are doing.”

    “I think we are quite confident that he is a strong leader with a capacity to make a difference,” Kerry said.

    Military analysts who closely follow the war say that Gulf states, and individual donors, have been backing the Nusra Front, which the U.S. government has labeled a terrorist group identical to al Qaida in Iraq, and similar groups because of their effectiveness. More moderate rebel groups have said they’ve been starved for support. A senior State Department official, briefing reporters Saturday, said a provincial military commander with thousands under his command, said recently that he had to rely on donations obtained by his troops from family and friends, because Idriss was unable to deliver.

    “Your help to Salim Idriss isn’t going fast enough,” the official quoted the commander as saying. “How do I tell my guys, ‘Wait for the stuff from Salim Idriss. Don’t take that money from that business guy who is backed by an Islamist network’?” The senior official spoke anonymously because he said he was not authorized to speak on the record.

    The main diplomatic move announced Sunday was the call for a return to discussions with Russia on a political resolution of the conflict, based on an accord agreed reached in Geneva last July that called for a transitional government, members of whom would be nominated by, and accepted by both sides.

    Assad named an aide to represent him in the talks, but the rebels did not, and diplomats say Russia has insisted that Assad effectively have a major role in the transition. In the joint statement early Sunday, the 11 participants – Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain, the United States and Turkey, said “Assad and his close associates have no place in the future of Syria” and should cede power to a transitional executive body.

    Kerry sought to offer at least a rhetorical olive branch to Russia, noting that the “framework of peace” was agreed to “by the international community, including our friends, the Russians.” But the joint statement of the 11 countries also warned that if Assad rejects a peaceful transition, “further announcements regarding expanding our assistance will follow.”

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who negotiated the framework with Kerry’s predecessor, Hillary Clinton, was in Turkey on the eve of the 11-nation talks, but there was no sign of any political shift. The discussion is expected to continue Tuesday, when Kerry attends a meeting of NATO foreign ministers that Lavrov is also expected to attend.

    Email: rgutman@mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @RoyGutmanMcC

    via ISTANBUL, Turkey: U.S., allies agree on rules for sending military aid to Syrian rebels | World | ADN.com.

  • Iran security head visits Syria, “friends of Syria” meet in Turkey

    Iran security head visits Syria, “friends of Syria” meet in Turkey

    Iran security head visits Syria, “friends of Syria” meet in Turkey

    English.news.cn   2013-04-21 11:07:05

    DAMASCUS, April 20 (Xinhua) — Iranian national security head visited Syria on Saturday as the country’s opposition called for a no-fly zone over Syria and “surgical” bombing against Syrian army’s ballistic missile launchers.

    Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, is expected to meet President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, among others, during his three-day visit, local officials said.

    Iran has emerged as a main regional ally of the Syrian government, whose officials have repeatedly stressed support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

    Meanwhile, in the “Friends of Syria” meeting in Turkey’s Istanbul on Saturday, the oppositional National Coalition said they want a no-fly zone over Syria to protect the northern and southern borders to secure the safe return of Syrian refugees.

    They also wanted the UN Security Council to condemn the use of rockets by the government troops “against civilians” and adopt measures to stop the Syrian from using such weapons.

    The group also demanded “capable countries” undertake immediate measures to disable the government troops’ ability to use “chemical weapons and ballistic rockets” through carrying out “surgical airstrikes” by drones.

    However, their Western backers appear reluctant to do so. Among them, U.S. President Barack Obama said repeatedly that he has no plans to send weapons or render lethal aid to the rebels in Syria.

    The United States, however, was reportedly preparing a new package of aid to the Syrian rebels of up to 130 million U.S. dollars in non-lethal aid that would include body armor, night vision binoculars, armored vehicles and advanced communication devices.

    Britain and France have been supporting efforts to lift an arm embargo on Syrian rebels to tilt the balance of the conflict in their favor.

    A military leader of the Syrian rebels, Salem Idris, told reporters on the sidelines of the “Friend of Syria” meeting that “only power would end the conflict” in Syria.

    He brushed off any possibility to embark on negotiations with the administration.

    Al-Assad said Wednesday that what is happening in Syria is a “war” in all sense of the word but there is still chance for dialogue with the opposition.

    “we want all parties to participate…to make dialogue a success,” the president said.

    “All doors for dialogue are open,” he said. “Anything is negotiable… There are no red lines but in two things: Syria’s independence, which means no foreign interference in any internal affairs… and supporting terrorists.”

    Editor: An

    via Iran security head visits Syria, “friends of Syria” meet in Turkey – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

  • Syria opposition must distance itself from “terrorists:” Germany

    Syria opposition must distance itself from “terrorists:” Germany

    Reuters
    Syria opposition must distance itself from “terrorists:” Germany
    Sat Apr 20 16:29:00 UTC 2013
    ISTANBUL (Reuters) – German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Saturday the Syrian opposition must distance itself from extremist forces and he said Germany was skeptical about supplying weapons to the rebels.”We expect from the opposition that they clearly distance themselves in Syria from terrorist and extremist forces,” Westerwelle told reporters in Istanbul at a meeting of Syrian opposition leaders and their international backers.

    “We are skeptical as the German government when it comes to delivering weapons because we are concerned that weapons could fall into the wrong, namely extremist, hands, but it is a matter that must now be discussed in the European Union.”

    A U.S. official said on Friday Washington planned to provide about $100 million in new non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition that could include for the first time battlefield support equipment such as body armor and night-vision goggles.

    Secretary of State John Kerry was expected to announce the new aid package, which would mark a recalibration of U.S. policy toward Syrian rebel groups at Saturday’s meeting. Fresh U.S. humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees is also likely.

    The new assistance would stop short of supplying weapons to rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It is also far less than what is sought by Syrian opposition leaders, U.S. allies Britain and France and some U.S. lawmakers.

    The 11-nation “core group” of the Friends of Syria, including the United States, European and Arab nations, has been deadlocked over how to remove Assad, whose security forces killed and arrested thousands of protesters who took to the streets to demand democratic reforms in March 2011.

    Syria’s opposition has said it hopes the Istanbul meeting will give teeth to a tacit agreement that arming rebel groups is the best way to end Assad’s rule.

    More than 70,000 have been killed in the revolt and subsequent civil war. But a military stalemate has set in and much of Syria is left in ruins because of a divided and ineffective opposition, a lack of action by foreign allies and Assad’s ability to rely on support from Russia and Iran.

    (Reporting by Nick Tattersall; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Stephen Powell)
  • Syrian rebels told by West to unify and reject extremism

    Syrian rebels told by West to unify and reject extremism

    Syrian rebels told by West to unify and reject extremism

    Syrian rebels were told by their western backers on Saturday they had to present a united face and reject extremism in return for a major new package of non-lethal assistance.

    The West has been reluctant to provide even non-lethal aid to rebel fighters Photo: Reuters

    By Richard Spencer, Istanbul

    4:05PM BST 20 Apr 2013

    Foreign ministers of nations backing the Syrian opposition, including William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, and John Kerry, the US secretary of state, met opposition leaders in Istanbul to thrash out a major new aid package.

    They continue to reject directly supplying the opposition with arms, despite fighting reaching a bloody stalemate across the country, but the US was on the verge of announcing up to $200 million in “non-lethal” military aid – equipment such as body armour and night-vision goggles.

    Diplomatic sources told The Daily Telegraph that in return the allies were demanding an end to internal wrangling in the opposition Syrian National Coalition, the Western-recognised political front for the rebels.

    The SNC was being asked to sign up to a three-pronged pledge. They had to reject extremism and present an inclusive face to the world that included religious minorities, secular groups and women as well as the dominant Islamist faction.

    Several secular members of the coalition have walked out in the last month, following the election of Ghassan Hitto, who is seen as close to the Muslim Brotherhood, as an interim prime minister for the rebels.

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    They are also being told to commit to secure Syria’s chemical weapons, a major security concern, and to present a detailed plan for “the day after” – how basic services will be run whenever President Bashar al-Assad is forced from office, assuming he is.

    Anti-Syrian regime protesters chant slogans and wave the Syrian revolutionary flag during a demonstration in Aleppo (AP)

    Time is running out,” one diplomatic source said, adding that the Coalition needed to show unity to be recognised as a credible leadership by those doing the fighting inside Syria.

    On Thursday, Mr Kerry told congressmen: “We want to make certain that the people we’re working with are committed to pluralism, diversity, to a democratic process. There have to be a series of guarantees.”

    The West, represented in the “Friends of Syria” group, has been reluctant to provide even non-lethal aid to rebel fighters, keen not to get sucked into another Middle Eastern war and afraid of bolstering the many jihadist forces among the rebels.

    But America is believed to be coordinating with Gulf allies like Saudi Arabia, which are sending weapons, and the SNC on Saturday called for more direct intervention. “While humanitarian aid is a dire necessity, the Syrian opposition is also looking for support that will enable the immediate fall of the regime and an end to the suffering of the Syrian people,” a statement said.

    Underlining their demands, fierce fighting claims scores of lives on Saturday. Activists and the regime confirmed major battles in the Damascus suburbs and between Homs and the Lebanese border.

    In Damascus, regime troops were attacking rebels who had seized the mixed Sunni and Christian suburbs of Jdeidat Artouz and Jdeidet al-Fadel. The activists’ Damascus media office said 69 people had been killed on the rebel side, including civilians.

    Near the Lebanese border, an area divided between Sunni, Shia and Christian communities, regime forces swept into four rebel-held villages around the town of Qusayr. Earlier in the week, rebels seized part of an airbase north of Qusayr, showing the back-and-forth nature of the conflict.

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  • Kerry to announce more nonlethal aid for Syrian rebels

    Kerry to announce more nonlethal aid for Syrian rebels

    t1largkerrythur

    By Elise Labott

    The Obama administration is set to announce a significant expansion of nonlethal aid to the armed Syrian opposition as the European Union moves closer to lifting an arms embargo to potentially arm rebels battling President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. officials told CNN.

    Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to announce the new assistance package at an international meeting on Syria in Istanbul on Saturday, the officials said.

    CNN first reported on April 9 that the administration was finalizing a package of increased assistance. The officials said the exact dollar amount and specific items to be shipped have not been finalized, and will be determined in Istanbul, where Kerry is to meet with other donors to Syria and leaders of the Syrian opposition.

    However, officials said the package is expected to include more than $100 million in equipment such as body armor, night vision goggles and other military equipment that is defensive in nature, but could be used to aid in combat by Syrian rebels battling forces loyal to al-Assad.

    Other options under discussion include assistance to support the expansion of the ongoing, civilian-led programs for delivery of critical goods and services by local councils throughout Syria and additional aid for capacity building efforts, the officials said

    Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday a goal of Friends of Syria meeting is to identify “what accelerants to Assad’s departure might make the most sense.”

    Increasing nonlethal aid to the rebels could help convince al-Assad that he must step down, Kerry said.

    Another aim of the conference is to “get everybody on the same page” with respect to what a post-Assad Syria will look like,” he said. That could “create a confidence level about who’s getting what kind of aid from whom.”

    The move by Washington to expand assistance to the armed rebels reflects what U.S. officials describe as a ramped-up effort to change the military balance on the battlefield in Syria to get al-Assad to step down.

    The move comes as Britain and France are leading efforts to lift a European Union arms embargo on Syria.

    Both have suggested they are prepared to join nations such as Qatar in providing the rebels with weapons, and are urging the United States to do the same. The arms embargo expires in May and diplomats said the EU countries are discussing possibly allowing it to expire or be amended to ban only weapons for Syrian government forces.

    The package being discussed, however, still falls short of the heavy weapons and high tech equipment sought by the rebels.

    Despite pressure from Congress and his own national security team, President Barack Obama has been cautious about increasing direct aid for the armed rebels. Kerry has pushed for more aggressive U.S. involvement in Syria since taking office in February.

    Last month, Obama agreed to send food and medicine to the rebels, the first direct U.S. support for the armed opposition.

    Supporters of expanding the aid argue such a step would strengthen the hand of moderate members of the opposition and make them less reliant on well-armed extremist elements within their ranks.

    “Everybody has now accepted a concern about extremist elements who have forced their way into this picture, and there is a desire by all parties to move those extremist elements to the side and to give support, I believe, to the Syrian opposition,” Kerry said Thursday. “That’s a big step forward.”

    A push last summer from CIA, Pentagon and State Department leaders was rejected by the White House. At least for now, it remains opposed to arming the opposition, fearing that U.S.-provided weapons could wind up in the wrong hands.

    The Obama administration has funneled $385 million in humanitarian aid to Syria through international institutions and nongovernmental organizations.

    In addition, Washington has provided more than $100 million to the political opposition and has pressed it to establish a leadership structure.

    But the Syrian Opposition Council, the main Syrian opposition group, has roundly criticized the United States for refusing to provide badly-needed support to organize a transitional government and broaden its support inside Syria.

    After Istanbul, Kerry will travel to Brussels, where he will discuss the Syria crisis with NATO and EU foreign ministers. He will also meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Obama administration sees Moscow, one of Syria’s most important backers, as key to a political settlement.

    On Thursday, Kerry said Washington was still open to negotiations between the regime and the opposition but warned “that time is not on the side of a political solution. It’s on the side of more violence, more extremism, an enclave breakup of Syria.”

    The longer the war drags on, Kerry said, the greater the chance of a “very dangerous sectarian confrontation over the long term, and the potential of really bad people getting hold of chemical weapons,” he added.

    Post by: By CNN Foreign Affairs Reporter Elise Labott
    Filed under: Assad • Sec. State John Kerry • Syria
  • More U.S. Support for Syria Rebels Would Hinge on Pledges to Abide by Law

    More U.S. Support for Syria Rebels Would Hinge on Pledges to Abide by Law

    More U.S. Support for Syria Rebels Would Hinge on Pledges to Abide by Law

    By MARK LANDLER and MICHAEL R. GORDON
    Published: April 19, 2013
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    WASHINGTON — President Obama has agreed to additional nonlethal aid for Syria’s rebels, according to a senior administration official, but its delivery will hinge in part on pledges by their political leaders to be inclusive, to protect minorities and to abide by the rule of law.

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    Secretary of State John Kerry planned to meet with opposition leaders in Istanbul on Saturday, as well as with foreign ministers from nations that are supporting them, to discuss both what the United States plans to do to help the rebels and what it expects from them.

    “It’s not a quid pro quo, but we want the opposition to do more,” said a senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s strategy. “Secretary Kerry will be discussing what steps we want them to take.”

    The meeting in Turkey of the so-called Friends of Syria group is taking place against a backdrop of worsening violence in the two-year-old civil war, dire new worries about how to care for millions of displaced Syrians, and further signs of Islamist radicalization in the insurgency as well as intransigence by President Bashar al-Assad. The special Syria envoy of the Arab League and United Nations, Lakhdar Brahimi, told the Security Council on Friday that “the situation is extremely bad” and that he thinks daily about resigning.

    The American package, officials said, includes protective military gear like body armor and night-vision goggles, as well as communications equipment — but not weapons. It comes on top of food rations and medicine announced by Mr. Kerry last February. While the State Department will determine the size of the package, an official said it could be double the $60 million in nonlethal aid already committed.

    But Mr. Kerry’s expected announcement, officials said, may not come until after the United States secures a commitment from the Syrian opposition and its supporters that any government that replaces Mr. Assad’s would be inclusive, would protect the rights of his Alawite minority and other sects, and would abide by the rule of law.

    Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, Mr. Kerry said his goal was “to get everybody on the same page with respect to what post-Assad might look like — commitment to diversity, pluralism, democracy, inclusivity, protection of minority rights.”

    In addition, Mr. Kerry said, the United States wanted the opposition to be “open to the negotiating process to a political settlement” and to “abide by rules with respect to conduct in warfare.”

    While the United States and European nations have insisted on democratic principles, American officials have been concerned that some of the opposition’s financial backers in Persian Gulf states have been less particular about the rebel factions they aid.

    Among those that Mr. Kerry said he wanted to put “on the same page” are the “Qataris, Saudis, Emirates, Turks,” as well as the Europeans. Nurturing a unified, moderate opposition has been complicated by regional rivalries, with countries pushing their own favorites.

    Not everyone in the Obama administration has necessarily been on the same page on policy toward the Syrian resistance. And State Department officials hope that the Istanbul meeting will enable the American side to close ranks as well.

    In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, voiced concern about the growing role of extremists among the anti-Assad fighters in Syria, and said identifying moderate members of the Syrian resistance had become more difficult.

    “It’s actually more confusing on the opposition side today than it was six months ago,” General Dempsey said.

    During his Senate testimony on Thursday, Mr. Kerry, when asked about General Dempsey’s comments, said one purpose of the Istanbul meeting was to identify and reinforce the moderate opposition.

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    Reporting was contributed by Alan Cowell from London; Hwaida Saad and Anne Barnard from Beirut, Lebanon; and Rick Gladstone from New York.