Friday, February 24, 2012

Syrian rebels get arms from abroad - source

By Lin Noueihed and John Irish

TUNIS (Reuters) - Foreign powers are turning a blind eye to weapons purchases by Syrian exiles who are already smuggling light arms, communications equipment and night vision goggles to rebels inside Syria, a Syrian opposition source said on Friday.

Debris and damaged houses are seen after government forces shelled the opposition-held area of Bab Amro, in Homs, in this handout picture received February 23, 2012. REUTERS/Handout

Syrian opposition supporters were also trying to bring anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons to the Free Syrian Army rebels, and to get retired Syrian officers into the country to help coordinate military opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.

The source was speaking at a meeting of Western and Arab nations which will demand that, in the absence of international resolve to intervene to end Assad's crackdown on an 11-month revolt, Syria allow aid to be delivered to civilians caught in fighting.

"We are bringing in defensive and offensive weapons... It is coming from everywhere, including Western countries and it is not difficult to get anything through the borders," the source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"There is not a decision by any country to arm the rebels but countries are allowing Syrians to buy weapons and send them into the country."

Foreign ministers from more than 50 countries were in Tunis for the first meeting of the "Friends of Syria" group, against the backdrop of a surge in government attacks on the city of Homs and mounting world outrage over violence that has claimed thousands of lives during the uprising.

In Homs, Syrian government artillery fire killed five people in the city's Baba Amro district, opposition activists said, as the bombardment of opposition-held neighbourhoods entered its fourth week on Friday.

"Baba Amro is being hit with 122mm artillery directed at it from surrounding villages. A father and his 14-year-old son were among those killed. They were trying to flee the shelling when shrapnel hit them in the street," Mohammad al-Homsi told Reuters.

With moves for tough action in the U.N. Security Council stymied by Russian and Chinese vetoes and a lack of appetite for military action to end Assad's crackdown, delegates in Tunis have limited options.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told Reuters: "It is very important that the first contact group is taking place today because it sends a message to the Syrian people that we support them in their struggle for freedom."

An updated draft declaration from the meeting called on Syria to "immediately cease all violence" to allow the United Nations access to Homs, and to let agencies deliver aid to civilians affected by the violence.

The "Friends of Syria" pledged, in the latest version of the draft seen by Reuters, to deliver humanitarian supplies within 48 hours if Syria's government "stopped its assault on civilian areas and permitted access."

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was trying to arrange daily ceasefires to allow in humanitarian aid, but Syria had not replied to its request.

In a sign the international community is seeking ways around the Security Council deadlock, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said he would dispatch former U.N. chief Kofi Annan to Syria as a joint U.N.-Arab League envoy.

HARSH REALITIES

The draft communique did not mention any foreign military intervention along the lines of the NATO bombing campaign that helped force out Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.

Instead, it called for further diplomatic pressure on Assad to step down and endorsed an Arab League plan that sees him handing power to a deputy as a prelude to elections.

The group will also commit to enforce sanctions aimed at pressuring Syrian authorities to halt violence, according to the draft declaration.

These include travel bans, asset freezes, a halt to purchases of Syrian oil, ceasing infrastructure investment and financial services relating to Syria, reducing diplomatic ties and preventing arms shipments to the Syrian government.

The wording of the draft reflected a harsh reality: there is little the outside world can or will do to stop the violence as long as Russia and China, both of which declined invitations to the Tunis meeting, reject Security Council resolutions.

Another problem facing world powers is divisions within the Syrian opposition, which they will seek to overcome before offering full backing.

The draft stopped short of fully endorsing the Syrian National Council as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people, proposing that it be recognised as "a legitimate representative of Syrians seeking peaceful democratic change."

It committed the group to "increase its engagement" with the Syrian opposition while urging it to create a mechanism for disparate groups to coordinate, and to agree on principles that would lay the foundations for a future Syrian government.

A lack of unity within the Syrian opposition and fears that the country is sliding toward civil war have left even Assad's harshest critics reluctant to directly arm Syrian rebels in the absence of any moves towards a Libya-style military campaign.

In a sign of continued diplomatic pressure on Assad, Turkey said it would host the next "Friends of Syria" meeting.

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN HOMS

U.N. investigators said Syrian forces had shot and killed unarmed women and children, shelled residential areas and tortured wounded protesters in hospital under orders issued at the "highest levels" of the army and government.

In their report to the U.N. Human Rights Council, they said they had drawn up a confidential list of names of commanders and officials alleged to be responsible.

The commission found that the rebel Free Syrian Army had also committed abuses, "although not comparable in scale."

Western diplomats said it had not yet been possible to recover the bodies of Marie Colvin, an American working for Britain's Sunday Times, and French photographer Remi Ochlik, who were killed in Homs on Wednesday.

Two journalists wounded in the same attack were also awaiting evacuation from Homs, where activists say the army is blocking medical supplies and electricity is cut off for 15 hours a day.

(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans in Beirut, Khaled Oweis in Amman, Lou Charbonneau at the United Nations, Arshad Mohammed and Myra MacDonald in London; Writing by Lin Noueihed and Christian Lowe; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Related Stories:
Syrian opposition wants arms supplies for rebels

Syria conflict worries Beirut, reopens divisions

U.N.-Arab League envoy Annan calls for peace in Syria

Timeline - Crackdown on protests in Syria

Russia urges Syria truce, says rebels share blame

News

Friday, February 24, 2012

Syrian rebels get arms from abroad - source

By Lin Noueihed and John Irish