Arab ministers agree with France to ‘strengthen’ Syrian opposition

French President Francois Hollande agreed on Friday with three Arab foreign ministers to strengthen the Syrian opposition in its battle against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, AFP reported.

The ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates “agreed on the need to strengthen international support for the democratic opposition to allow it to face attacks by the regime,” the Elysee said in a statement.

France and the United States are the main countries calling for military action over the alleged use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Russian proposal, accepted by Damascus, aims to prevent the United States launching an attack on Syria to punish it for a chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of civilians.

The Gulf Arab states have been among the strongest proponents of intervention against Assad, who is backed by Iran, their main rival for influence in the region.

(With Reuters and AFP)