Syria: Britain and West should arm rebels, say Arabs

The forthright Arab approach was backed by the Syrian National Council, the
opposition umbrella group newly strengthened by a draft communique in which
it was recognised as “a legitimate representative of Syrians seeking
peaceful democratic change”. Its leader, Burhan Ghalioun, said the
conference “did not meet the aspirations of the Syrian people”.

The conference was called after the veto by Russia and China of a United
Nations resolution calling on President Bashar al-Assad to step aside.

The Western allies, led by the United States, Britain and France, want to
stick to their long-term plan of uniting the Syrian opposition and using
diplomatic and economic pressure to force Mr Assad to step down before
trying more drastic methods.

Western diplomats say that military intervention, even the supply of more
light and medium arms to the Free Syrian Army, will see the conflict worsen
and possibly descend into a chaotic civil war, while accepting that the
provision of arms, perhaps by their Gulf allies, might be an option later.

Bassma Kodmani, a member of the SNC executive, claimed that some Western
countries had already begun sending military support in the form of
communications, body armour and night-vision goggles.

However Mr Hague said: “There may well be people who say that, and it reflects
the intense frustration that we all feel,” he said.

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