Muallem Says Sidon Clashes Result of 'Secret' Decisions Taken in Doha
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Monday that the clashes in the Lebanese southern city of Sidon were the result of a "secret" plan to ramp up assistance to Syria's rebels.
“What's happening in Sidon in terms of terrorism and crimes is one of the results of the secret decisions taken in Doha,” al-Muallem told a press conference in Damascus.
On Saturday, Qatar said the Friends of Syria group had agreed on a "secret" plan to increase assistance to the rebels fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Top Qatari diplomat and host Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani said the meeting of the group's foreign ministers had taken "secret decisions about practical measures to change the situation on the ground.”
A final communique said "each country in its own way" would provide "urgently all the necessary materiel and equipment" so that the rebels could "counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies and protect the Syrian people."
The clashes between the Lebanese army and the supporters of Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir in Sidon, Lebanon's third-largest city some 40 kilometers south of Beirut, is the latest bout of violence linked to the conflict in Syria.
Al-Asir is a virulent critic of Hizbullah. He supports rebels fighting to oust Assad.
His gunmen have used machineguns and Rocket Propelled Grenades in the attack on Lebanese troops. It is not clear who is behind him and who has provided him with the heavy weapons.
“Since the beginning of the crisis we warned that the repercussions of the Syrian developments on the neighboring countries will be dangerous,” Muallem said.
“We don't want to interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs because its leaders are capable of making assessments,” he said.
“We hope victory for the Lebanese army,” the Syrian FM added.
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