Kerry pledges backing for Syria rebels
2013-03-04 16:53
Riyadh - US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Riyadh on
Monday that Washington will work to "empower" Syria's opposition,
while warning arch-foe Iran that time for talk on Tehran's nuclear ambitions
could run out.
Kerry, on his first tour to the region since becoming the
Secretary of State, also met over lunch with Palestinian President Mahmud
Abbas, who flew in to Riyadh unannounced late on Sunday.
Kerry stressed that there was no question of arming the
Syrian opposition, even as his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal insisted
on the right of Syrians to self-defence.
The US will continue to work with its "friends to
empower the Syrian opposition," Kerry told reporters during a joint press
conference with the Saudi foreign minister.
Asked about reports of arms being sent to Syria's rebels
from countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Kerry replied: "The
moderate opposition has the ability to make sure that the weapons are getting
to them and not to the wrong hands."
However, he added, "there is no guarantee that one
weapon or another might not fall in the wrong hands."
The US has so far refused to arm rebels locked in a
two-year war against President Bashar Assad's loyalists.
Several oil-rich monarchies of the six-member Gulf Co-operation
Council (GCC), notably Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have supported the rebellion against
Assad, a staunch ally of their regional arch-foe Iran.
The GCC members are dissatisfied at the refusal of
President Barack Obama's administration to arm Syrian rebels and its perceived
lenient attitude towards Tehran, analysts say.
Kerry said his discussions with Gulf officials had also
covered ongoing talks between world powers and Iran on its nuclear programme.
Talks with Iran "will not go on for the sake of
talks," he said. "Talks cannot become an instrument for delay that in
the end makes the situation more dangerous. So there is a finite amount of
time."
"Obama has made it clear that Iran will not get
nuclear weapons," said the top US diplomat. "There is a huge danger
of proliferation."
World powers negotiating with Iran to rein in its nuclear
programme concluded another round of talks in Kazakhstan last week, after
putting forward a proposal to ease biting sanctions if Tehran halts the
sensitive work of enriching uranium.
"Saudi Arabia supports the efforts to resolve the
crisis diplomatically," said the Saudi foreign minister. "We hope
that the negotiations will result in putting an end to this problem... the
negotiations cannot go on forever."
Weapons programme
World powers accuse Tehran of masking a weapons programme
under the guise of a civilian atomic drive. Iran denies these charges.
During his flurry of meetings in Riyadh on Monday, Kerry
also held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, but had no plans
for a meeting with King Abdullah, officials said.
He also met Palestine’s president who flew unexpectedly
into Riyadh late on Sunday.
"Well, Mr President I have been waiting for this
meeting and I think you have too," Kerry told Abbas. "That's right,
that's right," replied Abbas.
Prior to their meeting, Palestinian envoy in Riyadh,
Jamal al-Shawbaki, told the official Voice of Palestine radio that Abbas
"will present the Palestinian point of view to the new US administration
ahead of Obama's visit".
Obama is due to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders in
Jerusalem and Ramallah during a visit on 20 to 22 March.
Abbas, in his first meeting with Kerry, will also
"highlight Israeli violations in Jerusalem, settlements, and the issue of
Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike," said Shawbaki.
Palestinian-Israeli peace talks have been deadlocked for
more than two years.
Abbas wants to renew peace talks in tandem with a freeze
on Jewish settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and in east Jerusalem.
US officials said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu had been made aware of the unscheduled Kerry-Abbas meeting.
After winding up the Saudi leg of his tour later on Monday,
Kerry will head to Abu Dhabi and then to Qatar.
