28-03-2024 10:16 AM Jerusalem Timing

Faisal: Saudi Arabia Will Not Stand Idly before Syria

Faisal: Saudi Arabia Will Not Stand Idly before Syria

In the wake of the Doha conference held last Saturday, the Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said on Tuesday that the kingdom will not stand idly about what is happening in Syria.

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L), Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal (R)In the wake of the Doha conference held last Saturday, the Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said on Tuesday that the kingdom will not stand idly about what is happening in Syria.

At a joint press conference with his American counterpart John Kerry, Al-Faisal said that his country "will not stand handcuffed in helping the Syrian people to defend themselves."

"Syria can be only considered now as an occupied territory which requires a quick international firm response,” Al-Faisal stated, in reference to foreign fighters active by the side of the Syrian army, while turning a blind eye towards the Saudi, Qatari, Bahraini and other Arab and foreign militiamen fighting for al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front terrorist organization against the Syrian national military.

Hailing the American decision to allow arming the Syrian militant groups, Al-Faisal called on the European Union to "immediately activate its decision in view of the serious developments in Syria," referring to the EU member states’ decision to lift the ban on sending arms to the militant opposition groups.

“Russia and all the foreign troops no longer have any reason to provide the Syrian regime with weapons as the countries that support the Syrian opposition stand idly, yet Saudi Arabia, though it is a small country, will provide the Syrians with all their needs to defend themselves,” Saud al-Faisal stated, in an implicit promise to escalate the Syrian conflict.

For his part, John Kerry reiterated all the stances of al-Faisal in a parallel harmony between the two diplomats.

The two ministers agreed on the necessity of supporting the Syrian opposition and unifying its different factions to restore the field balance before holding Geneva II, as the western states fear of the military achievements gained recently by the Syrian army.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.