Saudi Arabia: Russia guilty in Syria’s bloodshed

Saudi Arabia lashed out on Friday at Russian criticism of the kingdom’s support for the Syrian opposition, saying it was Moscow’s support for the Syrian regime that encourages President Bashar al-Assad to continue his brutality.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry expressed “surprise” at a Russian Foreign Ministry statement blaming the kingdom for the unrest in Syria.

Alarmed by recent reports that Saudi Arabia and other allies are planning to transfer advanced weapons to members of the Syrian rebel Free Syrian Army, Russia warned that such transfers would pose a major security threat in the region.

“If this sensitive weapon falls into the hands of extremists and terrorists who have flooded Syria, there is a great probability that in the end it will be used far from the borders of this Middle Eastern country,” said the Russian foreign ministry statement.

Riyadh said it supports the Syrian people against the brutality of the regime in Damascus, which enjoys strong backing from Moscow. This backing, Saudi Arabia says, has cost Russia sympathy of the Arab street.