Crown Prince Salman said the international community has let down the Syrian opposition, calling on the Arab League to grant Syria’s seat at the summit to the Syrian National Coalition.
“There is a legitimate resistance in Syria that was betrayed by the international community and left as a prey in the face of an oppression force,” the prince, who is also Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, said at the opening session of the 25th ordinary Arab Summit in Kuwait.
The prince called for changing the balance of power on the ground in Syria, where he said terrorist groups from several areas has entered the country.
“The crisis in Syria has reached catastrophic levels as half of the Syrian people either suffer from displacement of fled their country as refugees,” Prince Salman said at the summit, which was attended by 13 heads of Arab states.
Prince Salman called for greater support to the Syrian National Coalition, which he stressed is the sole representative of the Syrian people.
“It is strange that we do not see today taking Syria’s seat at the summit and assuming its natural place. We hope this situation will be corrected,” said the Prince.
At last year’s summit in Doha, Arab leaders agreed to give Syria’s seat to the coalition. Iraq and Algeria have reservations about giving it to the Syria National Coalition, while Lebanon did not wish to take a stand. The rest of the Arab states want the coalition to take up the seat, with conditions.
Ahmad Jarba, president of the coalition, urged Arab leaders Tuesday to grant Syria's vacant Arab League seat to the coalition and let it take over Syria's embassies in the Arab countries.
"Leaving Syria's seat empty sends a message al-Assad...'Kill, kill the seat is waiting for you once the battle is settled'," Jarba said in a speech at the opening session of the summit.
“Reality dictates that the Syrian embassies in the Arab capitals should be given to the coalition after the regime lost its legitimacy and nobody remains to cater to Syrians’ interests in Arab capitals, making their situation worse,” Jarba said at the session.
Addressing the heads of the Arab states present at the summit,” Jarba called on Arabs states to put pressure on the international community to commit to its pledges to provide heavy weapons to the rebels.
In his speech, he called for increasing humanitarian aid to the Syrians suffering inside and outside Syria and especially to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
Terrorism: Major threat to the region
“We all suffer from terrorism…we are required to double our efforts and join international efforts seeking to put an end to this dangerous phenomenon regardless of its types, goals or sources,” Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah said at the summit, the first to be held in Kuwait.
Prince Salman said terrorism, especially in the region, poses serious threat to the peoples of the region, their stsbaility and development.
“We are required to be cautious and take necessary measures to combat and uproot terrorism….terrorism has become a tool to spread chaos, division and sow seeds of sedition, which necessitates a joint, unified stand to face it,” Prince Salman said in his address.
“Saudi Arabia condemns all types of terrorism and will spare no effort to continue to fight it through issuing regulations and taking procedures that criminalize terrorism and those behind it,” said the Prince.
On the Palestinian issue, the leaders stressed its remains the core issue in the Middle East, noting that any solution should lead to the creation of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
They condemned all Israeli attempts to juadize Jerusalem and alter the identity of the city, slamming the Israeli violations against Al Aqsa Mosque.
