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Syria 'friends' to debate rebel support in Qatar Syria 'friends' defend arming rebels in Qatar forum
(about 1 hour later)
Foreign ministers of the Friends of Syria group of nations, which support the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, are due to meet in Qatar. Foreign ministers of the Friends of Syria group, who are meeting in Qatar, have defended the arming of rebels who are fighting President Bashar al-Assad.
The meeting comes a week after the US announced it would provide Syrian rebels with "direct military aid". Qatar's PM Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani said "providing arms may be the only means of achieving peace".
That decision followed what the US said was evidence of small-scale chemical weapon attacks by the government. But he and US Secretary of State John Kerry said the policy was simply to achieve balance and bring Syria's government to the negotiating table.
On Friday, rebels said they had received new weapons that could lead to "changes" in the civil war. More than 90,000 people have died in more than two years of conflict.
However, a spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army said they had not come from the US. The Syrian government says it is fighting foreign-backed "terrorists".
"We've received quantities of new types of weapons, including some that we asked for and that we believe will change the course of the battle on the ground," FSA spokesman Louay Muqdad told AFP news agency. 'Balance'
'More credible'
The Friends of Syria group includes the US, Britain, France and Germany as well as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan.The Friends of Syria group includes the US, Britain, France and Germany as well as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan.
A spokesperson for the US state department said that Saturday's meeting would be focused on how the international community could support the Syrian opposition to make it "more cohesive, more representative and more credible inside Syria". The meeting in Qatar's capital, Doha, comes a week after the US announced it would provide Syrian rebels with "direct military aid".
Correspondents say also on the agenda will be how to help the Free Syrian Army defend the northern city of Aleppo - the last major rebel stronghold. That decision followed what the US said was evidence of small-scale chemical weapon attacks by the government.
Rebels have suffered a recent series of military setbacks. They are also besieged on the outskirts of Damascus by government forces that have begun to regain the upper hand.
The Friends of Syria group was set up in response to moves by Russia and China to block UN resolutions on Syria.The Friends of Syria group was set up in response to moves by Russia and China to block UN resolutions on Syria.
On Saturday, the Qatari PM said that "failure to reach an agreement in the UN Security Council will not stop us moving forward".
He said that moral support for the rebels was not sufficient, adding: "A balance must be achieved on the ground so the regime can accept negotiations."
Mr Kerry said again that the Syrian government had crossed a line in using chemical weapons
But he insisted that the decision to provide military support to the rebels was "not to seek a military solution" but to give the rebels more power in negotiating an end to the conflict.
Mr Kerry said the group was still pushing for a peace conference in Geneva between the two opposing sides in Syria.
But he said Mr Assad had responded to the calls for a conference by bringing in Iranian and Hezbollah fighters to confront the rebels, an act he said "should concern nations all around the world".
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague accepted some in Syria would be disillusioned by the lack of action in the international community.
But he said: "The only worse thing than these meetings happening would be these meetings not happening."
He said the UK government had taken no decision to arm the rebels.
The rebels have suffered a series of military setbacks recently.
But on Friday, they said they had received new weapons that could lead to "changes" in the civil war.
A spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army said they had not come from the US.
"We've received quantities of new types of weapons, including some that we asked for and that we believe will change the course of the battle on the ground," FSA spokesman Louay Muqdad told AFP news agency.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin again warned the West against arming the Syrian opposition.On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin again warned the West against arming the Syrian opposition.
Speaking in St Petersburg during a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he said he feared a "political void" would be filled by "terrorist organisations" if Mr Assad were to leave power.Speaking in St Petersburg during a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he said he feared a "political void" would be filled by "terrorist organisations" if Mr Assad were to leave power.
More than 90,000 people have lost their lives in more than two years of conflict, the UN estimates. The Damascus government says it is fighting foreign-backed "terrorists". New offensive
On the ground in Syria on Saturday, government forces were reported to have stepped up their attacks on rebel positions north of the capital, Damascus.
The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported activists as saying there had been heavy shelling in a number of districts.
But the rebels said they had declared a new offensive of their own in the northern city Aleppo, the last major rebel stronghold.
They are attempting to capture government-held areas in the west of the city, Syria's largest.