Syria:Turkey responsible for Cross-Border Arms Smuggling, Terrorists Infiltration

Syrian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Laham slammed Turkey for arms smuggling and terrorists’ infiltration into Syria, saying that Turkey’s lack of border control is prolonging the crisis in his country.

“Turkey overtly embarks on smuggling weapons (into Syria) and providing operation rooms assisted by spy satellites (for armed rebels and terrorist groups in Syria),” al-Laham said in a meeting with FNA Managing-Director Nezamoddin Moussavi.

He said Turkey has taken no action to exercise control over its 900-kilometer-long borders with Syria, and added “Without Turkey’s cooperation it is impossible to exercise full control over the borders to prevent arrival of terrorists, gunmen and weapons.”

Syria is relying on “its innate capabilities” and friends standing by it, he said, adding armed dissidents and their Arab and regional supporters are struggling to prolong the clashes, “while the Syrian leadership is seeking to put an end to the crisis as soon as possible”.

The Syrian parliament speaker noted that the crisis in his country would not end as long as armed men and weapons arrive in Syria, but, meantime, stressed that “the Syrian nation and government will definitely be the winning side no matter how long the crisis would be”.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country.

Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.

In October 2011, calm was eventually restored in the Arab state after President Assad started a reform initiative in the country, but Israel, the US and its Arab allies are seeking hard to bring the country into chaos through any possible means. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots in the hope of increasing unrests in Syria.

The US daily, Washington Post, reported in May that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups battling the President Bashar al-Assad’s government have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States.

The newspaper, quoting opposition activists and US and foreign officials, reported that Obama administration officials emphasized the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the Persian Gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

According to the report, material is being stockpiled in Damascus, in Idlib near the Turkish border and in Zabadani on the Lebanese border.

Opposition activists who several months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said in May that the flow of weapons – most bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military in the past – has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Persian Gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.