DAMASCUS, May 12 (Reuters) – Syria accused the United States
and Western countries on Saturday of colluding with al
Qaeda-linked militants to target the country, in the wake of a
string of explosions in Damascus and Aleppo the government has
blamed on foreign-backed fighters.
“Western countries and the United States, which made
alliances to wage wars using the pretext of fighting terrorism,
are now making alliances with the terrorists which Syria has
been facing,” Information Minister Adnan Hasan Mahmoud told
journalists in Damascus on Saturday.
He said attacks such as a deadly twin car bombing in
Damascus on Wednesday which killed 55 people showed that
elements linked to the global militant group al Qaeda were
targeting Syria.
“This terrorist escalation using booby-trapped cars with
tons of explosives to target the Syrian people … is a
continuation of the bloody terrorist tactic used between armed
groups and al Qaeda, along with the international Western
countries that support them with weapons and money,” he said.
The opposition denies any role in the attacks and has argued
that the government is behind the bombings.
Opposition to Assad, which began with peaceful protests in
March 2011 inspired by popular revolts against other Arab
autocratic leaders, has grown increasingly militarised. U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday there was only a
narrow window of opportunity to avert full-scale civil war.
Western countries, Turkey and Gulf Arab states have vocally
supported the opposition movement and offered money for
communications tools and other equipment, but only the Gulf has
openly called for foreign powers to arm the rebels.
Many activists and fighters say Gulf countries are quietly
channelling money or weapons to the rebels through private
donors.
PLAN IN TATTERS
Syrians have seen little respite from their country’s bloody
turmoil despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by international
envoy Kofi Annan and the presence of a United Nations monitoring
mission. The United Nations blames both the government and
rebels for breaching the ceasefire.
With the truce deal in tatters, many in the opposition have
questioned the viability of Annan’s peace plan. The information
minister said the opposition and its supporters were trying to
thwart the initiative.
“This is a grave violation of United Nations Security
Council resolutions on fighting terrorism and to international
envoy Kofi Annan’s plan. It asks for tangible steps forward from
armed groups and their supporting countries, who are trying to
foil the mission,” the minister said.
The United Nations says more than 9,000 people have been
killed in Assad’s crackdown on unrest, while Syria says
militants have killed at least 2,600 of its security forces.
(Reporting by Marwan Makdessi; Editing by Sophie Hares)
