Who are the “Friends of Syria”? And what is their strategy for ending the Syrian crisis?

With the start of the Syrian uprising, a group of countries organized themselves under the name “Friends of Syria.” When they met for the first time in Tunisia in February 2012, over 70 countries attended. This weekend, the group met again in Doha, Qatar. Only 11 countries attended: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States. Apparently, the smaller the group, the more desperate they become.

Before concluding their meeting, they “authorized” each country to supply the rebels with arms as they see fit. Apparently, the United Stated administration was present not to commit to providing weapons, but to insist that all weapons must be channeled through the leader of the FSA, Salim Idris.

So far, the friends of Syria have contributed very little to actually help the Syrian people. The Gulf states took no refugees at all but they are all eager to send more weapons. Clearly, the name "Friends of Syria" does not match their commitments, they ought to refer to themselves as the "Friends of the Syrian Opposition" to be be factually accurate so that they can be taken seriously.

 

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