Arab League gives go ahead to arm Syria rebels

Arab media outlets are playing up the Arab League’s official green light to member countries to supply weapons and other tactical support to the Free Syria Army, as it bids to oust the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“Arab League allows those who wish to arm the Free Syrian Army” reads the leading headline today in the Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat. Saudi Arabia has been funding the Syrian rebels for many months now. The announcement, which comes after a meeting of foreign ministers of Arab League countries held in Cairo, also calls for a member of the Syrian opposition to officially take over the Syrian seat at the Arab League summit held in Doha later this month.

The Arab League statement stresses that “the opposition coalition is the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. . . and the importance of continuing efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis. Emphasis is placed on the right of each state, according to its own willingness, to provide all means of defense, including military, to support the steadfastness of the Syrian people and the Free Syria Army.”

‘Emphasis is placed on the right of each state, according to its own willingness, to provide all means of defense, including military, to support the steadfastness of the Syrian people and the Free Syria Army.’

As expected, the Syrian government unequivocally rejected the Arab League’s move.

According to the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat, “the Syrian Arab Republic emphasizes its firm rejection of the Arab League’s policies or other international efforts in seeking a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria… The Arab League has chosen to be biased in favor of Arab parties that support foreign military intervention. This hinders any solution based on national dialogue and encourages the opposition and terrorist groups to continue fueling the crisis.”

Two of Syria’s neighboring countries, Iraq and Lebanon, have issued statements that lend support to the official Syrian position. Both countries are facing political crises of their own at home and are concerned about the Syrian civil war spilling over into their territory.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has stated publicly his fears that sectarian bloodshed in Syria would lead to a major Al-Qaeda presence there and inspire a similar catastrophe in Iraq.

The Qatar-based media channel Al-Jazeera notes that Lebanon’s government officially distanced itself from Syria’s chaos yesterday. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized his country’s neutrality on the issue of the Syria.

Mikati has also urged the Lebanese people to refrain from taking sides or doing anything “that might endanger the security of their country or put its stability at risk.”

Adding more fuel to the fire against the Syrian government, former Assad insider Firas Tlass, a childhood friend of the president, military chief, prominent business tycoon and the son of a former Syrian defense minister who has since defected to the rebels, spills details of what he claims are Assad’s secret ties with Israel to Dubai-based media channel Al-Arabiya.

‘Hafez Assad was a dove compared with his son.’

Tlass claims Assad’s government was not reluctant at all in its dealing with Israel. “There are many political and economic deals being concluded behind the scenes between the Syrian regime and Israel, including the diversion of Syrian oil directly to Israel,” Tlass allegedly said in the interview.

Comparing Bashar Assad with his late father, Hafez Assad, who was known for ruling with an iron fist, Tlass states that “Hafez Assad was a dove compared with his son.”

Gun is drawn during dispute in Jordanian Parliament

The Jordanian Parliament was abruptly adjourned yesterday when MP Shadi al-Adwan drew a pistol on fellow MP Zeid Shawakbeh after the latter accused Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur of corruption, the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi reports.

Jordan, which is suffering from a severe economic meltdown in light of rising utility costs and an influx of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, has seen its parliament become a place of fierce tension during disputes over how to solve the nation’s ailing economy.

After MP al-Adwan allegedly drew his pistol, a crowd of other MPs surrounded him and pleaded for him not to shoot Shawakbeh and to stand down.

Deputy Speaker Khalil Atiyeh has insisted that when parliament is reconvened today, the issue of bringing guns into the political chamber must be placed on the agenda.