Saudi FM Walks Out of Syria Meeting, Urges 'Consensual or Forced Transition'
Saudi Arabia's delegation on Friday walked out of the "Friends of Syria" international meeting held in Tunisia to protest what it called "the meeting's inefficiency."
“Focusing on humanitarian aid is not enough and the only solution is a consensual or forced transition of power,” head of the delegation, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said.
“My country cannot take part in any action that does not lead to protecting the Syrian people and we need to protect the noble Syrian people promptly and effectively,” he added.
And as he stressed that President Bashar al-Assad’s regime had lost its legitimacy, the top Saudi diplomat slammed the Syrian government as “an occupation authority.”
“Have we truly supported the Syrian people? Will we settle for symbolic statements? Is it humane to settle for delivering aid and leaving the Syrians to the merciless (killing) machine?” Prince Saud added.
He noted, however, that the kingdom had approved the conference’s draft closing statement, but added that the text fell short of addressing what he described as a “tragedy.”
Later on Friday, Prince Saud said that he backed the idea of arming the anti-regime opposition.
Asked at the start of a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Tunisia if he supported the idea, he said: "I think it's an excellent idea ... because they have to protect themselves."
Source: Naharnet
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