NEW YORK: The leader of Syria’s Western-backed opposition group told US Secretary John Kerry yesterday that the United States must quickly supply rebels with promised weapons to prevent a military victory by President Bashar Assad’s regime.
Ahmad Al-Jarba, in a statement sent out while he was still meeting with Kerry at the US Mission to the United Nations, called the situation in Syria “desperate” and said the opposition urgently needs American action “to push the international community to demand a political transition.”
The newly elected head of the Syrian National Coalition accused the Assad regime of using indiscriminate weapons ranging from chemical weapons to cluster bombs and said opposition fighters must have weapons to defend themselves and protect civilians.
The Obama administration decided in June to begin arming Syrian rebels groups after the United States said it had conclusive evidence that Assad’s regime used chemical weapons against opposition forces. But the US has yet to send any weapons amid concerns they could end up in the hands of Al-Qaeda-backed groups and other extremists.
Syrian opposition urges US to arm it fast
