Syria's new opposition leader Ahmad Jarba (L) shakes hand with France President François Hollande as he arrives for a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace yesterday in Paris.
DUBAI: Nizar Al Haraki, ambassador of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) to Doha, yesterday said Qatar would continue to support the coalition despite the Father Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani’s abdication.
“I met with the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and congratulated him on his new role, and I expressed the importance of continuing support to Syria and he told me that Qatar will continue to support Syria,” Haraki said.
He added that proof of continuing Qatari assistance came a few days ago when Qatar gave $5m to the SNC to purchase humanitarian aid supplies. Moreover the newly-elected leader of the SNC, Ahmad Al Jarba, is planning to visit Qatar within days to coordinate aid supplies, Haraki added.
UN envoys in Damascus
Meanwhile, two UN envoys were in Damascus yesterday on a mission to persuade the Syrian government to let in inspectors to investigate alleged chemical attacks during the 28-month conflict.
The Syrian regime and rebels fighting to topple it have accused each other of using chemical weapons in the drawn-out conflict which has seen more than 100,000 people killed.
Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom and Angela Kane, the UN high representative for disarmament, arrived from Beirut for the talks, which the UN has been pushing for since April. They were likely to meet Foreign Minister Walid Muallem later, a source close to the UN delegation said on condition of anonymity.
The UN accepted an invitation from the Syrian government for the visit by the two envoys on July 11, with the limited brief of “completing the consultations on the modalities” of an inspection mission.
The US has accused forces loyal to Assad of making limited use of its chemical weapons stockpiles during the conflict, a finding backed by other Western governments. Long-standing Assad ally Russia has accused the rebels of using chemical weapons.
Damascus has insisted any investigation should focus on the use of chemical weapons in the northern town of Khan Al Assal in March, which it and Russia blamed on the rebels.
The town was captured by the rebels on Monday, in what diplomats at the United Nations said was a blow to the mission’s hopes of gaining access.
“If the government does not control Khan al-Assal then there is little chance they will let UN experts in,” said one UN Security Council diplomat. The United Nations has received 13 allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria. AFP/Reuters
