Saudi missiles will not change Syria situation - expert
Press TV has conducted an interview with Hisham Jaber, director of Center for Middle East Studies, about Saudi Arabia providing the militants in Syria with Russian-made Konkurs anti-tank missiles. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.
- I'am sure you have heard the news. Please give us your opinions on how much this could affect the situation on the ground and also following what happened in Qusayr, are the countries that are backing the militants scrambling to help those militants gain more ground in Syria?
- Yes of course, if you are talking about the Saudi missiles which were given to Syria, of course it is very important but I do not think personally it will change the situation.
We learned that Saudi Arabia did provide Syria with fifty, only fifty missiles against armors, the kind of Konkur which are good, very sophisticated and advanced missiles. But I don't think that fifty missiles will change dramatically the balance of force in Syria.
Also we learned that Saudi Arabia gave some missiles, air defense missiles, we don't now exactly how many but I don't think more than twenty or fifteen or something like this and everybody knows that last year at the beginning of the events in Syria, the insurgents were given air defense missiles about thirty, the kind was Stinger and some seven also it's finished now and they have been given also French missiles against armors, kind of Milan.
I think now the what so-called Friends of Syria, the eleven, will have meeting Saturday, in couple days in Doha. They will discuss the issue how to provide insurgents in Syria by missiles but I don't think those missiles or whatever their decision will be, it will take time and it will not change the military situation in Syria.
The Army in Syria is really having a very good success on the land and the battle of Homs as we said did start and it will not remain long time and we still have Aleppo.
On the other hand, don't forget that meeting in Ireland, the summit of eight [G-8] despite the diversions between President Putin and other members, I think we came with very good results.
First of all the last statement of the meeting did not at all mention the departure of President al-Assad and second, also it did mention and called both sides in Syria to fight against al-Qaeda and similar which did not please to the opposition in Syria, which in my opinion those are very good points and have a lot of meaning.
Third, that President Obama repeated for the third time that there is no military intervention, a direct military intervention in Syria and especially from United States.
All of the above in my opinion you know, let me believe that everybody is going to Geneva 2 without any conditions. You remember the conditions were made by the opposition in Syria. Now they have to go [without] any conditions.