Report: Saudis will pay salaries of rebel Syria army

[Sunni Man]

Saudi Arabian officials will pay the salaries of the Free Syria Army in order to encourage mass military defections and increase pressure on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad's, the Guardian of London newspaper reported Frida

The plan is gaining support as weapons sent recently to rebel forces by Saudi Arabia and Qatar make a difference on battlefields in Syria.

Saudi officials embraced the pay idea when it suggested by Arab officials in May, sources in three Arab states told the Guardian.

At that time, weapons started to flow across the southern Turkish border to Free Syria Army leaders, the Guardian said.

Turkey also allowed the establishment of an Istanbul command center staffed by 22 people, mostly Syrian, to coordinate supply lines in consultation with rebel army leaders inside Syria, the newspaper reported.

News of the pay plan emerged as international mediator Kofi Annan said Friday that Iran, an ally and neighbor of Syria, must be part of any solution to end the crisis in Syria and pave the way for a political transition.

Report: Saudis will pay salaries of rebel Syria army - World News

 

[Mr. H.]

It's one big proxy war.

 

[Saigon]

What a strange and intersting story.....I guess most of our pro-Israel supporters will back the Saudi's on this one.

 

[docmauser1]

I guess most of our pro-Israel supporters will back the Saudi's on this one.

Quite a moronic guess, of course. A rather judophobic one, indeed.

 

[waltky]

More of Syria's military turnin' on Assad...

U.S. sees Syrian military defections beginning to 'accelerate'
June 22nd, 2012 - The defection of four senior Syrian military officers to the Syrian opposition this week is another sign that senior officials are turning away from the government of President Bashar al-Assad, the United States said Friday.

"We have had four senior Army officers - two brigadier generals and two colonels - defect yesterday and join the opposition," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. "We have been calling for many, many weeks for members of the military to vote with their consciences and to break ties with Assad, and to refuse orders and to refuse to participate in the violence that's ongoing. So we are beginning to see this stream accelerate, and that's a good thing." The defections came the same week a Syrian pilot landed his military jet in neighboring Jordan and announced his defection. Nuland said U.S. officials had not yet been in contact with the Syrian pilot, but were in contact with Jordanian authorities.

While there's no sign of collapse by Assad's most elite military units, the rank and file may be less loyal. Opposition sources say that some Syrian troops are deliberately missing their targets. U.S. officials say there is no way to confirm the reports, but the opposition forces are strong enough that Assad's most elite units cannot always respond everywhere they are needed. "It stands to reason that if there are desertions from the ranks of the Syrian military there’s disgruntlement in the ranks. So far, it looks like a phenomenon limited mostly to Sunnis and to lower ranking officers," a U.S. official told CNN. "It remains to be seen whether the Syrian pilot’s request for asylum in Jordan will touch off similar actions.” "We have an opposition - a set of opposition groups that is finding ways - they're not totally coalesced, but they are finding ways of organizing themselves more effectively," Pentagon spokesman George Little said at a press conference Thursday.

In addition to the defections, a senior U.S. official with access to the latest information said there's also an increasing supply of weapons from the Syrian military itself. "They just purchase them from officers, the Syrian system is quite corrupt," said Andrew Tabler, an expert on Syria at the Washington Institute and author of "Lion's Den: An Eyewitness Account of Washington's Battle with Syria." "Many times when people are stopped at checkpoints, soldiers ask if they'd like to buy any ammunition." On his Facebook page earlier this week, Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, directed a post to members of the Syrian military, telling them they should "reconsider their support for a regime that is losing the battle."

Ford pointed out that the international tribunal for the former Yugoslavia prosecuted military officers for their roles in the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, and suggested a similar process in Syria. "I want to make it clear that the United States and the international community will work with the Syrian people to locate the military members responsible for this violence and hold them accountable," Ford wrote. "And we will support the future Syrian government's efforts to bring those people to justice. "Soldiers should know that, under international law, they have a responsibility to uphold basic human rights and that they do not escape responsibility for violations simply because they are subject to orders."

Ford has been working out of the State Department in Washington since the United States shuttered its embassy in Syria and pulled out its remaining staff in February after the government there refused to address its security concerns. In her briefing Friday, Nuland said there have been no reports at this stage of any senior officials in al-Assad's government defecting, but there are signs that some officials may be rethinking the longevity of al-Assad's rule. "We have seen plenty of money flowing out of Syria," Nuland said. "We've seen plenty of family members moving out of Syria, and these are often good indications of how people feel about the staying power of the government."

Source

 

[ekrem]

More of Syria's military turnin' on Assad...

A Syrian general, two colonels two majors, one lieutenant and 33 soldiers have defected from President Bashar al-Assad's forces and arrived in Turkey, Turkish state television said on Monday, without giving any further details.

Turkish state TV reports defections of Syria officers | Reuters

 

[High_Gravity]

The Saudis are heavily involved in arming and financing the rebels, Qatar as well.

 

[Sunni Man]

The so called rebels are Sunni muslims; and the Saudi's are sunni also.

Syria is about 90% sunni muslim.

The Royal Family has been taking a lot of heat form Saudi citizens for not stepping up and helping the fighters defeat Assad and the hated Alwite government.

 

[rhodescholar]

What a strange and intersting story.....I guess most of our pro-Israel supporters will back the Saudi's on this one.

And what is wrong with paying for the FSA?

At least they are indigenous to syria, unlike hezbollah/iran/syrian terrorists operating in lebanon.

 

[waltky]

Like abandoning a sinking ship...

High-ranking general defects from Syrian military
Fri July 6, 2012 : U.S. official says if Manaf Tlas joined Syria's insurgency, it would be "significant"; Tlas was perhaps the most senior Sunni in Bashar al-Assad's regime, scholar says; Tlas was disgusted with the killing of Sunnis, a Western official says; The Tlas family knows "how the place is wired," a Syria expert says

A key member of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's "inner circle" has defected, Western officials said, a stunning blow to the embattled regime. He is Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlas, a Republican Guard military commander, the son of a former defense minister and possibly the most senior Sunni in a power structure dominated by the Alawite minority. "He's an inside confidant of Assad. So it counts that even an insider thinks it's time to go," said one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby said the "crack in the inner circle" is "significant" because of Tlas' position and ties with the Assad family. "We don't believe this defection should be taken lightly," he said.

Syria has been engulfed in nearly 16 months of unrest resulting in thousands of deaths. The defection comes as government assaults against protesters led to a nationwide uprising. Tlas has been estranged from the regime over the killing of Sunnis, the official said. His father, former Defense Minister Mustafa Tlas, and the rest of his family are in Paris, the official said. Reports of Tlas' defection first surfaced Thursday. Western officials are saying he is on his way to Paris. It is not known whether he has joined the opposition. But a U.S. official who is not authorized to speak on the record said if Tlas joins the insurgency, it would be "significant."

Andrew Tabler, Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said it's "by far the biggest defection." "This is a good-sized step in the right direction," he said The Tlas family knows "how the place is wired." Rafif Jouejati, spokeswoman for the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria, called the development "quite significant." "It signals that the domino effect of defections is speeding up as longtime regime supporters and collaborators realize that Assad's ship is sinking fast. Expect more defections in the coming days as the regime accelerates its scorched-earth policy in a desperate attempt to destroy as much as possible before falling apart," she told CNN.

Jeffrey White, a defense fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, called the development "raises questions about the cohesions of his brigade and division." White recently wrote an essay describing the mounting pressures on the Syrian military, including the growing opposition clout and defections. He told CNN on Friday that the "defection process is accelerating somewhat and that we are getting more reports of higher-ranking officers leaving." Tlas had been "the commander of an important regime protection unit, a component of the Republican Guard Division, whose main responsibility in the current conflict has been the defense of Damascus," White said.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Tlas defection a big deal...

The Tlas defection: A tipping point for Syria?
9 July 2012 - For more than a year, Syrians have waited for a big defection.

For months, only conscripts and mid-level officers peeled away from the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Late last year, Mustafa al-Sheikh became one of the first generals to jump ship, eventually taking charge of the Free Syrian Army's military council. Turkey's foreign minister has put the tally at "around 20 generals and maybe 100 high-ranking officers, colonels". But in tight-knit dictatorships, rank means little. None of these, including the dramatic escape of a pilot to Jordan, have been game-changers. The latest defection, however, is a big deal: Manaf Tlas.

Why Tlas matters

Gen Tlas commanded the 10th Brigade of the Republican Guard, an elite force led by Bashar al-Assad's brother, Maher. The Guard, which has six brigades, also oversees the Fourth Division, instrumental in the past year's military offensives. Although his departure has hardly crippled the Guard, it is the strength or weakness of these units that will affect the government far more than defections from the regular army. Moreover, Tlas is more than just a general. His father is Mustafa Tlas, who served as defence minister for 30 years and was a confidant of Hafez al-Assad, the president's father and predecessor.

Both Manaf and his father have been key Sunni powerbrokers in a regime that is dominated by the Alawite minority sect to which the Assad family belongs. Tlas junior helped Bashar take over his father's role, when succession was far from certain. The government has long relied on such cross-sectarian alliances to anchor itself. For example, the vice-president, Farouk al-Sharaa, touted as a potential transitional leader, is also Sunni. So too are the interior minister, military intelligence chief, and army chief of staff. The government's ties to the urban Sunni trading classes, particularly in Damascus and Aleppo, have also helped its survival - although these are under real strain.

Deepening splits

Gen Tlas's defection is therefore significant for two reasons. First, although his absence will not in itself be a major blow, the signal it sends to other non-Alawite elites could be important. Other generals may not have Gen Tlas's wealth and connections; some might still be tempted to leave while they can. And with the loss of this Sunni veneer, those Sunni factions hitherto sitting on the fence - like many business people - may also be persuaded to tilt to the opposition. Even if a cascade of defections is unlikely, this could herald a shift in the balance of power.

More BBC News - The Tlas defection: A tipping point for Syria?

 

[waltky]

Another defection, Russia sends in its Navy...

Syrian Ambassador to Iraq Defects; Joins Rebels
July 11, 2012 - Syria's ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf Fares, has defected and says he has joined the revolution.

In a statement broadcast on the Arabic-language television network Al-Jazeera, Fares announced he is resigning from the ruling Ba'ath Party. He said the government has used it as a tool to oppress the Syrian people and their aspirations to freedom and dignity. He urged members of the military to join him, saying there is no honor in killing one's own people. It was not made clear where Fares was speaking.

He is the highest-ranking Syrian official to flee Bashar al-Assad's government since the deadly rebel uprising began 16 months ago. In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney called this a sign that support for Mr. Assad is crumbling both inside his own government and internationally.

Earlier, United Nations envoy Kofi Annan said that in his talks this week with President Assad, the Syrian leader proposed a negotiator who would represent him in talks with the opposition. Mr. Annan did not reveal a name.

Mr. Annan also said Iran and Iraq told him they would use their influence to push the Syrian opposition into talks. Carney said the United States is not excluding anyone from participating in talks about Syria's future, but he doubts Iran could play a constructive role.

Source

See also:

Russian Warships Steam to Syria
July 11, 2012
MOSCOW — Two Russian Navy ships entered the eastern Mediterranean Wednesday, steaming toward a Russian Navy base at Tartus, Syria. The ships are advance units of a flotilla of 11 warships - one destroyer, five amphibious landing ships, two patrol frigates, two rescue tugs, and one tanker. Several ships carry units of Russian Marines.

It is to be the largest display of Russian naval power in the Mediterranean since the collapse of the Soviet Union two decades ago. And in case the world misses the message, Russia television is broadcasting images of warship after warship steaming out of bases in the Arctic, Baltic and Black seas.

'Sending the message'

In Moscow, Yevgeny Michenko, director of the International Institute for Policies Expertise, says the Kremlin is sending the message that it does not want to see in Syria the kind of Western-led regime change that took place last year in Libya. “Russia has a crystal clear position," he said in an interview. "It means that Russia does not want to support changes of the Syrian president, and Russia doesn't support any kind of military operation like it was in Libya.”

At a military air show near London, Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, a deputy director of Russia’s Military-Technical Cooperation Service, told reporters that the Russian ships could be used to prevent a Western blockade of Syria. He said that Russia will fulfill existing contracts to deliver to Syria refurbished helicopters, new air defense systems and spare parts for weapons. He said that no Russian military specialists are now in Syria helping Syria’s army.

But two weeks ago, when Syrian forces used Russian-made missiles to shoot down a Turkish fighter jet, Russian military sources in Moscow gave reporters highly detailed information on the jet’s flight path over the eastern Mediterranean. Other analysts say Russia’s amphibious ships could be used to evacuate the large numbers of Russian civilians who live in Syria.

Power broker