William Hague delivered a stark warning to Syria’s regime, saying that President Bashar al-Assad must obey a new peace plan or else other countries would arm the rebel movement.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (left) and the Foreign Secretary William Hague Photo: AP/EPA
By David Blair, Istanbul
8:30PM BST 01 Apr 2012
The Foreign Secretary said the “reality” was that some governments - although not Britain's - would supply weapons to Mr Assad’s enemies if this “best hope” for peace failed.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Mr Assad's leading Arab critics, have publicly favoured arming the opposition. They joined 82 countries and international organisations in Istanbul for the second meeting of the "Friends of Syria" group.
The aim of the gathering, convened by Turkey's government, was to escalate the pressure on Mr Assad and rally support for a six-point peace plan devised by Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general.
This proposes a ceasefire monitored by UN observers followed by "Syrian-led" negotiations to settle the crisis, with free access for aid agencies and the media. Crucially, Mr Annan's plan stops short of demanding Mr Assad's resignation.
Syria's regime accepted the proposals last Tuesday, but Mr Assad has yet to order a ceasefire or withdraw troops and tanks from urban areas. On the contrary, the bloodshed has continued with dozens more reported to have been killed yesterday.
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The Foreign Secretary said the regime must now obey the Annan plan or face the consequences.
"What some countries are saying is 'if the Annan process does not work, we are going to have to look at arming the opposition'. At least, that's how I understand their position and that's what I think the reality is," said Mr Hague.
Britain is bound by a European Union arms embargo on Syria and will only supply non-lethal equipment, he added. But the Foreign Secretary noted that other countries have a different position.
"The Assad regime must engage properly with that process and implement the six-point plan because the calls by other countries – not by the UK – for arming the opposition will intensify if they don't do so," added Mr Hague.
The Annan plan, he said, represented the "best hope of a peaceful transition".
The conference saw early steps towards building the capabilities of Mr Assad's enemies.
Burhan Ghalioun, leader of the Syrian National Council, the main opposition alliance, was invited to address the gathering. He urged the creation of "safe zones" inside the country guarded by rebels from the Free Syrian Army. The SNC also said that it would pay the salaries of guerrilla fighters, blurring the distinction between armed and civilian opposition.
Mr Ghalioun also appeared to rule out a peaceful settlement under the terms of the Annan plan, saying: "The international community should see that there is no political reconciliation with the regime in Syria."
The opposition, which has suffered serious military defeats in the last month, is deeply reluctant to open talks with Mr Assad. The regime, meanwhile, is suspected of endorsing the Annan plan merely as a ruse to buy time.
Mr Hague made clear that he was alert to this danger, stressing that the peace plan "cannot be an indefinite process" and that Mr Annan should "provide timelines on what is going to happen over the coming days or weeks".
His words were echoed by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, who noted Mr Assad's failure to observe an Arab League peace plan last year. The regime's attitude towards the latest proposals showed that it was "adding to its long list of broken promises," added Mrs Clinton. America, she said, was already supplying Mr Assad's civilian opponents with non-lethal equipment, notably for communications.
For Britain, America and France, a "plan B" in the event of the failure of the Annan mission would be to return to the Security Council and seek a UN resolution to escalate the pressure on Mr Assad. They would attempt to win over Russia and China by pointing to the collapse of the latest peace effort.
But other countries, notably Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are probably preparing more direct steps. Yesterday, an official Syrian newspaper accused Saudi Arabia of plotting to "arm the terrorists, encourage the bloodbath and destroy infrastructure".
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