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Kerry in Saudi Arabia

June 27, 2014

On a visit to Saudi Arabia, the US Secretary of State has cited moderate Syrian rebels as crucial in the cross-border fight against ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria. Funds to arm and train the rebels are in the pipeline.

https://p.dw.com/p/1CRhx
Außenminister John Kerry in Saudi Arabien zu Gesprächen über Irak und Syrien
Image: Reuters

After his meeting in Paris with the Saudi, Jordanian and UAE foreign ministers on the widening crisis in Iraq and Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Saudi King Abdullah in Jeddah on Friday. The Sunni Gulf kingdom has called for greater US military support for Syrian rebels who King Abdullah has supported for a long time.

The Saudi king has criticized Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose Shiite-led government has seen Sunni insurgents belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) - or as the US calls them, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) - sweep up a huge swathe of territory in the west and north of Iraq over the last month.

Kerry said "the moderate opposition in Syria... has the ability to be a very important player in pushing back against ISIL's presence... not just in Syria, but also in Iraq."

Head of the Syrian moderate opposition Ahmad al-Jarba has called for more foreign aid in order to maintain a battle on two fronts. The rebels are continuing their efforts to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and to contain fighters with the extreme Sunni ISIS militants.

"The situation is very grave and there are sectarian leaders ruling the country so we have to have greater efforts on the part of the US and regional powers to address the situation in Iraq," Jarba said.

Kerry said that: "Jarba represents a tribe that reaches right into Iraq. He knows people there, and his point of view and that of the Syrian opposition will be very important going forward." Jarba had visited Washington in May to plead for arms, especially anti-aircraft missiles, to help the rebels defend themselves from air strikes and barrel bomb attacks by the Syrian regime.

US President Barack Obama has asked Congress for $500 million (365 million euros) to train and arm vetted members of the Syrian opposition.

Also on Friday, Kerry announced that the chief US negotiator between the Israelis and Palestinians, Martin Indyk, has resigned following the collapse of the peace talks. Indyk, a former US ambassador to Israel, was appointed by Kerry as his envoy to the peace negotiations initiated last July.

jm/msh (AP, AFP)