Photo Gallery Stopping Assad's 'Killing Machine'
Some countries in the West have begun seriously thinking about supplying weapons to the rebels in Syria. It's about time, says the former head of Saudi secret service, Prince Turki Bin al-Faisal in an interview with SPIEGEL. "Saudi Arabia has always said that if you don't provide the opposition with the necessary means, this would be a long drawn out fight that would get bloodier before it stops."
US Senator John McCain speaking with Prince Turki Bin al-Faisal at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year. Turki believes that if the Syrian rebels had been armed early on, moderate elements would have been able to establish themselves as the legitimate leaders of the rebellion.
Currently, the rebels are primarily receiving non-deadly support from the West, including from Germany. But while Germany continues insisting it is opposed to supplying arms, the US, Britain and France disagree.
The issue of Syria promises to be a main focus of the G-8 summit this week in Northern Ireland. Russia has rebuked US President Barack Obama for claiming that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons on his own people.
Once again, Chancellor Angela Merkel finds herself isolated on a significant international issue. With significant European and NATO allies moving towards arming the rebels, Berlin appears eager to stay on the sidelines.
