Robert Gates: No-Fly-Zone in Syria will change nothing

Former head of both the CIA and Pentagon Robert Gates said today that imposing no-fly-zones in Syria will not have any influence over the events taking place in the country. "The reality is we had a no-fly zone over Iraq for 12 years, and it didn't stop Saddam Hussein for one minute," Gates said in an exclusive interview with the (CNN). "Under the circumstances, I believe that if we are going to assist segments of the Syrian opposition, which is through Turkey and Jordan, basic military equipment. I would be willing to give them more anti-armor. I would not give them surface-to-air missiles. Those would too easily fall into the hands of the wrong parts of the opposition," he said. Gates added that he does not think that this will be enough to tip the balance of power on the ground to a political or negotiated settlement in Syria.