Friends of Syria Agree Rebels Need Arms - East Idaho News
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Friends of Syria Agree Rebels Need Arms

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Getty 073012 AleppoSyria?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1372061957076Scott Peterson/Getty Images(DOHA, QATAR) — A group called The Friends of Syria approved a resolution in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday to provide weapons to rebels fighting for the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.

Representatives from 11 governments, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, agreed “to provide urgently all the necessary materiel and equipment to the opposition on the ground, each country in its own way in order to enable them to counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies.”

Besides the U.S., those taking part in the talks were France, Germany, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Great Britain.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani insisted that supplying rebels with weapons was the only way to resolve the conflict.

So far, the Obama administration has said it will only provide small arms to moderate rebel factions while opposition leaders claim anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons are necessary to repel al-Assad’s military, which is being aided by thousands of Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon.

The Friends of Syria are also demanding that Hezbollah and other militant fighters from Iran and Iraq pull out of the country.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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