Leading Syrian opponent: Arming rebels ridiculous

A leading Syrian opposition figure slammed the decision of the Friends of Syria meeting to arm the rebels, calling the "ridiculous" idea would prolong the crisis and give rise to violence. "We think that the decision of the Friends of Syria meeting to arm the rebels reflects the Western powers' insistence on prolonging the crisis, the violence and the shedding of the Syrian blood," Hasan Abdul-Azim, head of the oppositional National Coordination Body, told Xinhua on Sunday. A day earlier, foreign ministers of members of the so-called Friends of Syria group met in Qatar's Doha on the latest developments in Syria, and agreed to further arm the Syrian opposition fighters. In a joint statement, participants of the meeting agreed to " provide urgently all the necessary materials and equipment" to the rebels fighting the Syrian army forces on ground. "They can't say that they are arming the opposition to reach a political solution because such talks are ridiculous," said Abdul- Azim, a pan-Arabism opponent who rejects the exiled Western-backed opposition groups' agendas. The meeting "should have practiced more pressure on the armed rebels and the exiled opposition alike to attend the Geneva conference to negotiate for a political solution instead of arming the opposition because it would get us nowhere," he said, urging both backers of the opposition and supporters of the administration of President Bashar al-Assad to push for a political solution in the Geneva meeting that is planned to take place in July. While stressing that the Syrian government cannot settle the situation on ground with force, Abdul-Azim said the exiled opposition groups, at the same time, do not want the crisis to be settled except by force, "and that is why they call for more armament." The Western powers have recently revealed their desire to increase their help to the "moderate" opposition to achieve a balance between the two warring sides and push them toward a political solution through negotiations. After its sweeping victory in the central strategic city of al- Qussair with the help of Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Syrian army now eyes the northern province of Aleppo and other areas in central Syria as its next targets to further frustrate the rebels. The Syrian government charged that the armed groups have been provided with weapons since the beginning of the crisis in early 2011, pledging to root out insurgency and rid the country of al- Qaida-linked militants.