Why Britain's aid to Syrian rebels could help turn the tide

Sunday 12 August 2012

AFTER months of ducking the issue a Western country has finally decided to respond to the cry that "something must be done" in Syria.

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by Trevor Royle Diplomatic Editor

At the end of a week which saw Syrian government forces win back control of the northern city of Aleppo, Britain's foreign secretary William Hague announced that he will provide an aid package worth £5 million for the rebel forces that have spent the past 17 months attempting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

The offer comes with all sorts of caveats, the principal one being that it is made up of communications and medical equipment but it is a beginning, and a good one at that. Somewhat ambiguously, Hague claims that Britain is not taking sides but perhaps he's just being diplomatic. His move is not dissimilar to the one taken last year when countries started queuing up to aid the Libyan opposition in Benghazi just at the moment when it seemed that the government forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi were about to regain the ascendancy in the civil war.So it is in Syria. This has been a torrid week for the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA). Outgunned and out-manoeuvred they have been forced to withdraw from Aleppo to regroup in the surrounding countryside. Morale is bound to have been shaken, for not only were they badly beaten but the decision to try to take Aleppo was probably taken precipitately before they were in a position to challenge Assad's forces. Britain's response will be a fillip because it shows that the FSA is still a player and has not been forgotten. Remember, the foreign secretary did not make this decision on a whim or in isolation. He has been advised by special forces and intelligence agents on the ground who have been in touch with the FSA and have been able to gauge their strengths and weaknesses. Again, this is very similar to the way in which Western governments made contact with the Libyan opposition last year. Then as now the aim is to build up trust by providing equipment which is badly needed but falls short of gun-running. The British Government is keeping things simple. No-one looking at the footage coming out of Aleppo last week can doubt the need for medical supplies to help the wounded. As for communications equipment this, too, is badly needed and is as vital as assault rifles and machine guns. Throughout the conflict Assad's forces have shown themselves to be adept at switching off the country's communications systems and blocking access to the internet and social networking systems. Now the FSA can fight back.One other benefit might come from Britain's decision. The main obstacle in getting the UN to act in unison has been Russia's and China's refusal to back any resolution which smacks of regime change. Curiously this has less to do with any deeply held desire to keep Assad in office than with a doctrinal intransigence about letting the West interfere in another country's affairs. But if the FSA eventually triumphs and forces Assad to the negotiating table, that is another matter altogether and at least the hands of Russia and China will be clean. For both countries that is an important point. China is an authoritarian state in which many minorities such as Buddhists are kept in their places while Russia has a substantial Muslim population especially in restless Chechnya. Both would be uncomfortable supporting any manoeuvre designed to bring down a ruler – Assad – whose methods are not so terribly different from their own.So, if it can be claimed that Britain is not interfering but rather aiding and abetting the Syrian opposition – and not with weapons but with humanitarian aid – then everyone might be left happy. The FSA is being supplied with kit it really needs, Russia and China can hardly complain and even Assad would have to acknowledge that while the aid might be unfriendly it is not an act of war. With a new UN/Arab League peace envoy about to replace former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, that could be the boost needed by everyone involved in the peace process. It is also good news that this could be Lakhdar Brahimi of Algeria, left. Brahimi's vast experience in politically volatile places like Haiti, Afghanistan and Iraq only adds to the feeling that a breakthrough might just be in the offing.

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Why Britain's aid to Syrian rebels could help turn the tide

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