Kerry and Prince Saud at the press conference in Jeddah yesterday.
AFP/Jeddah
Saudi Arabia pressed yesterday for global action to end Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, telling US Secretary of State John Kerry the civil war had turned into “genocide”.
Kerry met leaders of the kingdom as part of a regional tour in which he has called for greater support for Syria’s rebels but stressed that Washington ultimately wants a political solution that includes all sides.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told Kerry that Assad, who belongs to the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam, has waged “genocide” through the more than two-year conflict that has claimed nearly 100,000 lives.
“The kingdom demands a clear, unequivocal international resolution that bans any sort of weapons support for the Syrian regime and declares null and void the legitimacy of that regime,” Prince Saud said at a joint news conference.
“The regime’s illegitimacy eliminates any possibility of it being part of any arrangement or playing any role whatsoever in shaping the present and future,” he said.
Prince Saud voiced dismay at the role of Iran, which has poured assistance to Assad to save its main Arab ally. Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Muslim group backed by Iran, is fighting in support of Syrian government forces.
“Syria is facing two things—unprecedented genocide in this region and a foreign invasion,” Prince Saud said. “What led to this situation are simple and basic demands by the Syrians to make their lives a little better.”
Kerry has previously voiced fears of “ethnic cleansing” in Syria.
President Barack Obama has vowed to step up support for the rebels after concluding that Assad defied warnings and used chemical weapons. But he is cautious about deeper involvement in an increasingly sectarian conflict.
Asked about Saudi Arabia’s role, Prince Saud said the kingdom would help the rebels “in the most effective way that we can”.
“The only restriction there is on the aid we can give to the Syrian opposition is our ability to help,” he said.
Despite Prince Saud’s tough line, Kerry said the US supports an agreement last year in Geneva that would create a transitional government that includes both the rebels and regime, although not Assad himself.
“We believe that the best solution is a political solution in which the people of Syria have an opportunity to be able to make a choice about their future,” Kerry said.
“We believe that every minority can be respected, there can be diversity and pluralism and that the people can do so in a climate of peace,” he said.
Kerry arrived later yesterday in Kuwait and heads today to Jordan. He added a stop for Saturday in the United Arab Emirates, his spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
US-Russia talks produce no deal
Talks between the US and Russia to set up a Syrian peace conference produced no deal yesterday, with the powers on either side of the two-year civil war failing to agree when it should be held or who would be invited.
Washington and Moscow announced plans for the peace conference last month, but their relations have since deteriorated rapidly, as momentum on the battlefield has swung in favour of President Bashar al-Assad.
After five hours of talks in Geneva sponsored by the UN, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said there was still no agreement over whether Assad’s ally Iran should be allowed to attend the conference, or who would represent the Syrian opposition.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet next week, and further talks on the conference are expected to follow, a UN statement said.
