Kingdom demands all-out support for Syria fighters

Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has said that increased political, economic and military support to the Syrian opposition could bring about a change in the balance of power on the ground and help in finding a political solution to the country’s problems.
Prince Saud said that any increase in support would help the opposition defend the people from suppression by the regime of Bashar Assad. He was speaking during a meeting of the Group of Friends of Syrian People on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting.
He stressed the need to document the US-Russian agreement on the resolution passed on Syria at the Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
“This will require the Syrian regime, which has lost its legitimacy, to comply with the agreement and not exploit it to gain time to continue torturing the Syrian people,” he said.
The prince expressed concern at the apathy of the international community toward the suffering of the Syrian people and hoped that the regime’s gassing of civilians would mobilize the international community to act.
“The Syrian regime’s murder of 140,000 of its own citizens using missiles, bombs and aircraft was not enough to spur the international community into action. Instead, it waited until internationally-banned poisonous gases were used, which caused the deaths of more than 1,400 people, mostly women and children, to accuse the regime of committing crimes against humanity. I hope that the latest act leads to the international community deterring this regime from committing more crimes,” the prince said.
He said the Syrian regime had crossed all the red lines with the use of chemical weapons. The First Geneva Conference recognized the National Syrian Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people after the regime lost its legitimacy, he said, adding that the second Geneva Conference should implement the recommendations of the First Geneva Conference.
He highlighted the need to step up humanitarian assistance for Syrian refugees.