Kerry to push for coordinated aid to Syrian rebels
US secretary of state in Qatar to discuss aid to Syrian opposition
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DOHA, Qatar — US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Qatar to meet officials from nearly a dozen nations that make up the “Friends of Syria” group, to firm up and coordinate military and humanitarian aid going to the Syrian opposition trying to oust President Bashar Assad.
Talks are attended by representatives from Britain, Germany, Turkey, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan and Italy.
Kerry flew to Doha, the capital of Qatar, Saturday. It’s the first stop on his seven-nation trip through the Mideast and Asia.
US officials hope the meeting will re-energize a newly expanded Syrian opposition group, which is to elect new leadership in the coming days.
“The goal of the meeting is to be very concrete about the importance of every kind of assistance that’s coming from the London 11 countries [Friends of Syria] … being fully coordinated and going through only the Syrian opposition coalition,” a US official told AFP on Friday.
“This is all in support of energizing, re-energizing, the Syrian opposition coalition leadership to work to select its leadership,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
Kerry is a strong proponent of international intervention to stop the civil war in Syria, which has claimed 93,000 lives.
President Barack Obama recently announced the US will send weapons to the rebels, despite concern the arms could end up in the hands of Islamic extremists.
The Times of Israel Community.