The Biggest Hurdle Before Ending the Crisis

Senior intelligence officials from US-NATO and allied countries including the US, Britain, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar met on June 7, behind closed door at the residence of the British Ambassador in Ankara, According to a Fars News Agency report.

The topic for discussion was the defeat of the US-NATO sponsored Al Nusrah rebels following the battle of Al Qusseir which led to the victory of Syrian forces. The planning of a renewed “rebel”  offensive was envisaged:

“Top intelligence officials of the US, Britain, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan convened in an urgent meeting at the British ambassador’s residence in Ankara on June 7 to discuss an immediate rebel attack on the Syrian government and army positions in reprisal for the Syrian army’s recent victory in Al-Qusseir,” a liaison officer coordinating the meeting told FNA.

According to the report, cited by global research, the participants of this Ankara secret meeting included (with the exception of Jordan) the regional intelligence directors of the seven countries directly involved in supporting the terrorist attacks against Syrians. The source added that  “All the aforesaid countries sent their regional directors to the meeting, except for Jordan which was represented at a lower level.”

The meeting acknowledged the lack of morale among “rebel” forces and the need “to assess the psychological impacts of the Syrian army’s victory in Al-Qusseir on “rebel” groups and work out a morale-boost response to Damascus.”

The formulation of a renewed and coordinated “rebel” offensive was outlined, including the channeling of additional sources of financing, the delivery of weapons to the Al Qaeda affiliated “opposition” rebels (in defiance of international law and US anti-terrorist legislation):

“Given the defeat and withdrawal of the “rebel” groups from Al-Qusseir, the meeting studied possible geopolitical replacements for delivering arms shipments to the rebels,” the source added and continued, “Also participants discussed the focal points and methods that need to be dealt with by the western and Arab media to boost the morale of the rebels.”

The source said participants also “decided to increase financial aids to the “rebels” through Saudi Arabia and Qatar”.

”They also discussed several plans to retaliate the “rebels’” crushing defeat in Al-Qusseir,” he concluded.

Two weeks following the Ankara intelligence meeting on June 7, The “Friends of Syria” gathered in Qatar (June 22, 2013). France’s President Francois Hollande and US Secretary of State John Kerry were present.

The representatives from the “11 core members” of the “Friends of Syria” group agreed in a final statement “to provide urgently all the necessary materiel and equipment to the opposition on the ground”. The aid to the “rebels” was to be channeled through the Syrian opposition’s Supreme Military Council.

In addition to the funds channeled by the 11 core member states of the “Friends of Syria”, large and undisclosed amounts of financial aid is also being channeled through private foundations based in the Gulf States.

Thus, those countries which have been shedding crocodile tears for the Syrians are themselves responsible to the shedding of the Syrian blood. Such countries have missed no occasion to speak about Geneva 2 and political solution to the crisis. Actually, the meddling of such countries, not to mention their relentless support to Al-Qaeda affiliates, is the biggest hurdle before the ending of the ongoing crisis.

Dr. Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim