Saudi Foreign Minister
Prince Saud Al Faisal, at an emergency meeting of
the Arab Summit, demanded
that his colleagues 'for once unequivocally
take a stand for what is
right' and approve Western intervention in Syria.
Al Faisal Implores Arab League to Back Force: 'Syria is Already
Occupied' (Akselar, Syria)
"When the Syrian people sensed the incapacity of Arab
countries to answer their repeated cries for help, they were forced to issue an
SOS to the international community. ... It is no longer acceptable to say that
any international intervention would be an interference in Syrian domestic
affairs, because it is the regime in Damascus that has thrown its doors wide open
to the forces of Iran's Republican Guard and Hezbullah to such an extent, that
Syria can only be described as an occupied country."
At
the opening session of the emergency Arab foreign ministers meeting at Arab
League headquarters in Cairo on Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al
Faisal called for “critical decisions” to lend support to international
intervention in Syria, taking into account that opposing this intervention
would constitute only “encouragement for the Syrian regime.”
Al
Faisal said, “any opposition to international action constitutes nothing other
than encouragement for the regime in Damascus to continue committing its crimes.”
adding that “the time has come to demand that the international community shoulder
its responsibility and take deterrent measures” against the Syrian regime.
The
Saudi minister stressed that “when the Syrian people sensed the incapacity of
Arab countries to answer their repeated cries for help, they were forced to issue
an SOS to the international community. We are faced with this painful reality
and are asking for more than just condemnation, denunciation and disapproval.”
Al
Faisal pointed to the Syrian regime’s use of “chemical weapons,” saying that
“this appalling behavior is its answer to claimants parties seeking a return to
the U.N. Security Council, which is handcuffed by the Russian and Chinese vetoes.”
The
Saudi minister said “it is no longer acceptable to say that any international
intervention would be an interference in Syrian domestic affairs, because it is
the regime in Damascus that has thrown its doors wide open to the forces of
Iran's Republican Guard and Hezbullah to such an extent, that Syria can only be
described as an occupied country”.
Al
Faisal said, “It must not be ignored that the Syrian National Coalition
(opposition) has become the representative of the Syrian people” and that “it
is our responsibility to stand shoulder to shoulder with them and support them
with all the means at our disposal, especially as the Syrian regime has failed
to respond - and is not going to respond - to appeals from Arab states and the
international community.”
Al
Faisal asked, “Are we required to wait until [the Syrian regime] has completely
wiped out all of its people?” adding that “today, our organization is being called
on to take tough decisions in order to lift the Syrian people from their ordeal.”
He
closed by addressing his Arab counterparts: “Let us for once unequivocally take
a clear stand for what is right.”
For
his part, In his speech, opposition Syrian National Coalition President Ahmad Jarba asked Arab ministers at the meeting to support the
international operation in Syria.
Jarba said: “I stand here today to challenge
you from the bottom of my heart, as brothers and human beings, to support the
international operation against the annihilation machine” operated by the
Syrian regime.
He
called for an Arab resolution “to liberate Syria from Hezbullah, Iranian forces
and the extremist Iraqi militia brought in by Bashar
al-Assad,” stressing that talk about foreign intervention in Syrian affairs had
become “superfluous” in terms of countering “the systematic killing being
committed by the Syrian regime day after day.”
Jarba said “There is no time to lose when
hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and injured and there have
been dozens of cases of rape, in addition to the Iranian invasion of Syria.”
In
his speech, Egyptian Foreign Minister NabilFahmy stressed that his country would oppose “any
international intervention” in Syria.
