Arming Syrian fighters possible if that will help topple Assad: U.S. diplomat

The United States will provide weapons for the Syrian opposition fighters if that will speed up the fall of the President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, told Al Arabiya on the sidelines of “Friends of Syria” meeting on Wednesday.

“We are in favor for a political solution and if we see weapons provisions to Syrian rebels to be in support to such political solution then we will go for such possibility.”

“Friends of Syria” countries, a group that includes the United States and 113 other countries collectively recognized Syria’s new opposition coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people at a conference in Morocco.

During the meeting, Saudi Arabia pledged to donate $100 million in humanitarian aid to the Syrian people, the United States promised $40 million while Germany $22 million.

The “Friends of Syria” remained divided on whether to arm opposition fighters, especially after the United States blacklisted an Islamist Syrian opposition group.

The “Fiends of Syria” disagreed over designating the Islamist al-Nusra Front as a terrorist group, highlighting a key dilemma in overthrowing President Bashar Assad’s regime.

On Tuesday, a high-ranking official in the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood said the United States had made a “very wrong” decision by blacklisting al-Nusra Front.

But despite disagreements among the “Friends of Syria,” the agreed that the time was up for President Assad and that it was time for him to go.

“We know that the picture on ground is dramatic and very difficult and demanding but therefore we say to the coalition that we consider them to be the legitimate representative.”