from Arab states for the rebels is creating conditions for a fight that could drag on longand bloodily into the future.
A recent draft report by a UN panel concludes that Syria remains the top destination for the shipment of Iranian arms, in contravention of a UN Security Council ban on weapons exports to anyone by Iran. The confidential report, drafted by the sanctions committee of the Security Council, was seen by Reuters.
The draft report investigated details of three separate shipments of Iranian arms over the past year. “Iran has continued to defy the international community through illegal arms shipments,” the report said. “Two of these cases involved (Syria), as were the majority of cases inspected by the Panel during its previous mandate, underscoring that Syria continues to be the central party to illicit Iranian arms transfers.”
The last of the three shipments investigated involved rockets that Iran was shipping to the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to British authorities.
Another, separate Syria-bound shipment was seized by Turkey last year, prompting the Turkish government to impose an arms embargo on Syria. The panel reported that Iran’s shipments contained assault rifles, machine guns, explosives, detonators, 60mm and 120mm mortar shells and other lethal items.
The report has not yet been submitted to the Security Council, and sources told Reuters that the committee might change some of the language before it does so.
On the other hand, Syrian rebels battling the government forces have recently begun receiving weapons financed by the Arab nations of the Persian Gulf and approved indirectly by the United States, which insists it is not directly arming the Syrian rebels.
The Obama Administration has said it is expanding its contacts with the rebels to better identify key leaders and offer assessments of the rebel command-and-control structures to the Persian Gulf nations so they can make better judgmnents on whom to provide arms.
“We are increasing our nonlethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, and we continue to coordinate our efforts with friends and allies in the region and beyond in order to have the biggest impact on what we are collectively doing,” said a senior State Department official, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity with The Washington Post.
Despite the new weapons shipments to the rebels, most of their ammunition is still thought to be bought on the black market or from elements of the Syrian army with millions of dollars in cash supplied by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, among others.
The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood confirmed that it had recently opened its own supply route to the rebels. It is using donations from wealthy private individuals and Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, confirmed a member of the Brotherhood’s executive committee.
This move is likely going to further dim hopes by the US government that the Sunni-led Syrian National Council would become the umbrella opposition organization. The SNC has failed to secure the confidence of Syria’s Christians, Druze and the Alawites because these minority communities believe the SNC is dominated by the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood.
The rebels also face unity issues among their ranks. The Free Syrian Army, composed of deserters from the Syrian Army, has resisted directions from the political leaders of the SNC, opting instead to pursue operations on its own.
Accordingly, the US and other developed nations are cautious about supporting them.