100 countries recognize Syrian rebels
Source: Agencies |
December 13, 2012, Thursday
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MORE than 100 countries yesterday recognized a new Syrian opposition coalition, opening the way for greater humanitarian assistance to the forces battling Bashar Assad and possibly even military aid.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called the "Friends of the Syrian People" conference meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, "extraordinary progress." He noted that the European Union is now renewing its weapons embargo on Syria every 3 months rather than annually to give them more flexibility as the situation on the ground changes.
"We want to have the ability to continue or to change our attitude on this point. The fact that the coalition, which is asking for the right to defend itself, is now being recognized by a hundred countries - yesterday the US and first France - I think this is a very important point."
The conference's final statement said Assad, Syria's president, has lost all legitimacy but stopped short of calling for him to step down, something attending ministers did say individually. The statement also warned that any use of chemical weapons "would draw a serious response" from the international community.
The conference comes hours after US President Barack Obama declared its new coalition was the "legitimate representative" of its country's people.
At the conference, Syrian opposition spokesman Walid al-Bunni called for "real support" and not just recognition. The Syrian National Coalition, formed in November at a conference in Doha, Qatar, has called for increased international support, including military material.
"We need not only bread to help our people," opposition member Saleem Abdul Aziz al Meslet said at the meeting. "We need support for our Syrian army - we need to speed up things and get rid of this regime."
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called the "Friends of the Syrian People" conference meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, "extraordinary progress." He noted that the European Union is now renewing its weapons embargo on Syria every 3 months rather than annually to give them more flexibility as the situation on the ground changes.
"We want to have the ability to continue or to change our attitude on this point. The fact that the coalition, which is asking for the right to defend itself, is now being recognized by a hundred countries - yesterday the US and first France - I think this is a very important point."
The conference's final statement said Assad, Syria's president, has lost all legitimacy but stopped short of calling for him to step down, something attending ministers did say individually. The statement also warned that any use of chemical weapons "would draw a serious response" from the international community.
The conference comes hours after US President Barack Obama declared its new coalition was the "legitimate representative" of its country's people.
At the conference, Syrian opposition spokesman Walid al-Bunni called for "real support" and not just recognition. The Syrian National Coalition, formed in November at a conference in Doha, Qatar, has called for increased international support, including military material.
"We need not only bread to help our people," opposition member Saleem Abdul Aziz al Meslet said at the meeting. "We need support for our Syrian army - we need to speed up things and get rid of this regime."
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