'Hawkish'
"... Fears that the wealthy Gulf states are preparing to implement a decision to equip the armed opposition to Assad have prompted warnings about the danger of exacerbating violence.The Guardian understands that the Syrian president's most implacable Arab enemies have been moving towards more direct, if still largely covert, support for the opposition but are now under heavy international pressure to hold off.
British officials see no evidence that large-scale government weapons transfers have taken place – yet. But Arab sources claim the normally vigilant Saudis have turned a blind eye as funds raised by Syrian businessmen in the Gulf have been used to buy arms that have been smuggled into Syria by Saudi allies in Lebanon.
According to the Arab sources a bigger official effort may be imminent, with one citing reports of Syrian opposition figures meeting Saudi intelligence officers in Europe and Turkey to discuss specific needs...
Qatar, which led support for the Libyan rebels, has drawn up plans for a substantial programme to supply tens of millions of dollars worth of sophisticated weapons like anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles....
But the plans have been met with both public and private resistance from the international community....
The rift with the Arab hawks was clear at last weekend's Friends of Syria conference in Istanbul......
'Hawkish'
But according to one assessment, statements by the Saudis and Qataris may be more about exerting psychological pressure on Assad than genuine readiness to arm his enemies....
The situation is complicated by the fact that neither Jordan nor Turkey, which have land borders with Syria, are likely to allow transfers of significant armaments.....
The logistical difficulties in smuggling any supplies into Syria were illustrated by a recent attempt by businessmen to send satellite phones to the areas worst hit by the Syrian army to coordinate humanitarian relief. Shipping 200 satellite receivers and transmitters through Turkey or Jordan would have faced insuperable bureaucratic obstacles, the businessmen discovered. They decided to fly the equipment to Kurdistan and smuggle it from there but the Belgian manufacturer pulled out of the deal on the grounds it could not be exported to Syria under EU sanctions...."
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