Syria Opposition Chief Urges Arabs to Back Western Strikes
The head of Syria's opposition National Coalition on Sunday urged Arab countries to back U.S.-led Western strikes on the Damascus regime over an alleged chemical weapons attack.
"I am here before you today to appeal to your brotherly and humanitarian sentiments and ask you to back the international operation against the destructive war machine" of the Syrian regime, Ahmed al-Jarba told a Cairo meeting of Arab League foreign ministers.
“I urge your assistance and support for a military strike against the regime, which has sought the support of the Iranians and Hizbullah,” added Jarba.
He noted that “national sovereignty has no meaning in the face of the behavior of the regime, which has exposed the country to all types of intervention.”
Arab League foreign ministers had initially planned to meet on Tuesday to discuss an imminent U.S.-led punitive strike on Syria for allegedly gassing civilians on August 21 in Damascus suburbs.
The meeting was brought forward to Sunday as U.S. President Barack Obama said he was determined to launch a strike on Syrian regime targets and would seek congressional approval for it.
Washington says the alleged chemical attack killed hundreds of people and Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that Washington had proof the Syrian regime used sarin gas.
The United States has pointed to the Arab League as a potential ally for military action against Syria but several member states of the Cairo-based organization are opposed to a strike.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar, major backers of rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad, want firm action while other Arab states such as Syria neighbors Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan have ruled out joining any attack.
Earlier on Sunday, the Saudi foreign minister told a news conference that the international community must stop "the aggression against the Syrian people before these people perish."
But he did not explicitly mention Obama's call for a punitive strike on Syrian regime targets.
The Syrian opposition has expressed disappointment at the resident's decision to delay military intervention until after a vote in Congress, which is not due to convene before September 9.
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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