Saudi Arabia, Gulf countries to fund Syrian rebels

Apr 02, 2012 todayonline.com

ISTANBUL - Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are creating a multi-million-dollar fund to pay salaries to members of the rebel Free Syrian Army and soldiers who defect from the regime and join opposition ranks, participants at a meeting on Syria said yesterday. One delegate described the fund as a "pot of gold" to undermine President Bashar Assad's army.

The large-scale plan to help Syria's badly out-matched rebels offers a solution to the international divide over whether to arm the rebels or support them through only non-lethal or humanitarian means.

It also reflects frustration with months of failed diplomacy aimed at pressuring Mr Assad to stop his crackdown on dissent, as well as hopes of forcing his ouster by shifting the military balance on the ground.

Conference participants confirmed the plan on condition of anonymity because details were still being worked out. It was unclear how the fund would be set up and monitored, or how salaries would be guaranteed. A participant said the fund would involve millions of dollars every month.

Washington has not taken any public position on the fund, but it appears that it has given tacit support to its Arab allies. AP