A few US senators have in recent days urged the Obama administration to increase pressure on the Syria regime, a step they say may require arming Syria's domestic opposition forces.
Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator, called on President Barack Obama to assist the Syrian opposition and help break Syria's alliance with Iran.
In a Wednesday interview with the American channel CNN, Graham noted that since Russians are providing weapons to the Assad regime, “we might as well be arming the opposition.”
“It’s in our national security interest … to replace Assad and to break up this Syrian-Iranian alliance. And we should be spending more time talking about this,” Graham said.
“Our strategic interests in Syria are much greater than they were in Libya ― this regime is the biggest [ally] of Iran, which threatens the world even more so than the Assad regime,” Graham continued, referring to the US-led campaign against former Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi.
“We should … do parallel agreements with the Arab League to try to help these people in the humanitarian way and maybe providing arms,” said Graham. “We need a dual track.”
Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman and Republican Senator John McCain sent a joint letter to Obama Thursday urging him to consider all options, including that of arming of arming the opposition. The letter emphasized that the bloodshed in Syria must end.
Last Sunday, the Arab League passed a resolution providing a possible opening to funnel weapons to anti-Assad forces. Part of Article 9 of the resolution urges Arab governments to “provide all kinds of political and material support” to the opposition. This wording would permit arms transfers, the league confirmed to Reuters.
On 4 February, Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution of an Arab League plan calling on Assad to step down from power.
