Kerry Says U.S. Will Double Aid to Rebels in Syria
ISTANBUL — Secretary of State John Kerry
announced Sunday morning that the United States would double its aid to
the Syrian opposition, providing $123 million in fresh assistance.
Mr.
Kerry made the announcement at a meeting with foreign ministers from
Western and Middle Eastern nations that was convened here to decide how
to help the opposition in Syria’s bitter civil war, which has killed more than 70,000 people.
A
portion of the new American aid, the State Department said, will help
provide additional “nonlethal” supplies to the military wing of the
National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, an
umbrella organization formed in November to unite the various rebel
groups that have been trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad for
two years.
American
officials did not specify the items to be sent, saying that will be
determined in consultation with the coalition. But the Obama
administration has been considering providing military equipment like
body armor and night-vision goggles.
“This
conflict is now spilling across borders and is now threatening
neighboring countries,” Mr.
Kerry said during a news conference he held
with Moaz al-Khatib, the leader of the Syrian coalition, and Ahmet
Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister. “The president directed me to
step up our efforts.”
A
major goal of the meeting here was to buttress the role of moderates
within the opposition forces and to isolate extremist groups like the
Nusra Front, which the United States has said is affiliated with Al
Qaeda. That entailed finding consensus among supporting nations about
how military assistance should be channeled to the rebels.
Toward
that end, the foreign ministers decided that all future military
assistance would be funneled “exclusively” through the Supreme Military
Council, the military wing of the coalition. This procedure is intended
to address the concern that some of the opposition’s financial backers
in Persian Gulf states have been less particular than Western nations
about the rebel factions they support.
Another
goal was to secure a new commitment from the Syrian opposition
coalition that it is prepared to enter into a negotiation over a
political transition to a post-Assad Syria, if one can ever be
organized, and that a post-Assad government would be a democracy in
which the rights of minorities would be protected.
At
the end of the meetings, the Syrian coalition issued a declaration
stating that it is “aiming at a political solution,” rejected extremism,
and said that a post-Assad Syria would be pluralistic and based on the
rule of law.
During
a closed-door session, General Salim Idris, the head of the
opposition’s command, gave a presentation to the foreign minister that
was intended to show that he had a functioning chain of command and that
military aid the Syrian opposition received would be used properly.
The
new aid Mr. Kerry announced on Sunday would be in addition to the food
rations and medical supplies that the United States pledged to provide
to the military wing of the Syrian resistance at a conference in late
February in Rome. That assistance is scheduled to be provided by April
30.
With
the pledge of fresh aid, the total amount of nonlethal assistance from
the United States to the coalition and civic groups inside the country
is $250 million. During the meeting here, Mr. Kerry urged other nations
to step up their assistance, with the objective of providing $1 billion
in international aid.
Despite
this, the assistance promised at the meeting fell well short of the
military help the Syrian opposition has long sought. In a statement
issued before the meeting, the coalition asked for several steps,
including airstrikes to stop the Syrian government from firing Scud
missiles, the establishment of a no-fly zone along Syria’s northern and
southern borders, and a United Nations resolution condemning the Syrian
government for what the opposition claims is its use of chemical
weapons.
Still,
diplomats said that the agreement on how to channel military aid to the
opposition and the political assurances by the Syrian opposition
provided a foundation for expanding international assistance if Mr.
Assad refused to yield power.
“These
things are very important for many countries to be able to expand the
assistance they give,” said William Hague, the British foreign
secretary.
The embargo on sending arms to Syria that was imposed by the European Union will come up for renewal at end of May.
“We
are already stepping up our assistance,” a Turkish official said. If
Mr. Assad refuses to step aside, he added, “what comes next is further
expansion of this assistance.”
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