Saudi Arabia: Syrians have a right to take up arms to defend themselves

PanARMENIAN.Net - Saudi Arabia has said that Syrians have a right to take up arms to defend themselves against the regime and accuses the Damascus government of "imposing itself by force," as concerns mount over a humanitarian crisis there.

According to The Associated Press, in a rare televised news conference on Sunday, March 4, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said the kingdom welcomed international efforts to broker a ceasefire in Syria but added that they have "failed to stop the massacres."

"Is there something greater than the right to defend oneself and to defend human rights?" he asked, adding that the Syrian people want to defend themselves. "The regime is not wanted by the people," he said.

"The regime is insisting on imposing itself by force on the Syrian people," he said.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been discussing military aid the to the Syrian opposition, but the U.S. and others have not advocated arming the rebels, in part out of fear it would create an even more bloody and prolonged conflict. Sunni Saudi Arabia is wary of the wave of Arab Spring uprisings, particularly in nearby Bahrain, where a Shiite majority is demanding greater rights from its Sunni rulers. However, the kingdom strongly backs the largely Sunni uprising in Syria.