“The kingdom is ready to participate in any ground operations that the coalition (against ISIS) may agree to carry out in Syria”, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri of Saudi Arabia told al-Arabiya TV. “Despite being involved in Yemen, Gulf countries want to prove that Syria is not an Iranian issue”.
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Dubai-based Middle East analyst Theodore Karasik contended, however, that interventions by USA allies and Syrian government foes Saudi Arabia and Turkey would be “madness” given the “the highly charged atmosphere”, but “nothing should surprise us anymore”.
The brash language used by al-Moualem could be signs of newfound confidence in President Bashar Assad’s government. “Our stance has not changed”, he said. Many of these rebels have themselves been tied to ISIS, al-Nusra Front and/or Al-Qaeda. The refugees were fleeing the intense fighting near Aleppo where regime forces launched an offensive supported by air bombardments by Russian war planes.
Suleyman Tapsiz, governor of the border province of Kilis, said Turkey would send aid to the displaced, but had no immediate plans to let them in.
“We are not talking about thousands of troops, but we are talking about troops on the ground that will lead the way”.
However, Bahrain does not wish to be part of a ground operation in Syria:”We take great interest in the stability of the brother nation [of Syria] and the expulsion of terrorists from its land”.
Mohammed Alloush, who represents the powerful Army of Islam group, told The Associated Press that the opposition did not withdraw from the UN-sponsored talks in Geneva because it “didn’t want to get blamed” for their failure.
Here are some basic problems with the strategy: First of all, it appears the Saudi decision to send troops to Syria more or less depends on the U.S.-coalition’s decision to do so.
The Saudi maneuver is believed as preparation for a possible ground incursion into Syria. Egypt’s stance toward Syria is to support a political process that maintains the shape of the Syrian state.
“I don t think they would dare do that…”
“Syria is a great global problem and the leading powers must find common ground on how to solve it. We will continue to be part of the worldwide effort to establish peace in the region”, the minister concluded.
“Any ground intervention in Syria without the consent of the Syrian government is an aggression that should be countered, which will be the duty of all of the Syrian people”.
Iran, the key regional ally of Damascus and a rival of Saudi Arabia, said Riyadh lacked the courage to deliver on the premise.
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“And we hope that when we meet in Munich in the next few days, we’ll be in a position where we can make progress on that goal”, Kerry said.
