“Foreign ministers of the “Friends of Syria” bloc will meet on
Saturday in Doha to discuss aid for the Syrian rebels, including
military assistance, according to a French diplomat quoted by AFP. Ministers
of Britain, France, the U.S., Germany, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia,
Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Egypt will attend the
meeting, the source said on Wednesday. The meeting aims to
address in a “concerted, coordinated and complementary manner” the
concerns raised by the opposition’s military chief during the last
“Friends of Syria” meeting in Ankara last Friday……………..”
Friends of one Syria have been holding a lot of meetings. You’d think they have no other business but Syria. They will meet in Doha (Qatar) again to support the armed militias of that Syria (Free Syrian Salafi Army). They all agree on continuing the battle toward a free democratic Syria that will be no less free and no less democratic than its most ardent supporters: Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the UAE. Logically, things look to have a good chance of reaching that ultimate goal. The obstacle is the battle before that.
Friends of another Syria will meet elsewhere; could be in Waziristan, in some Wahhabi mosque on the Persian Gulf or Najd or Al-Anbar, or more likely somewhere in Western Europe. They seek to support the militias of their own vision of Syria that sometimes coincides with that first Syria noted above. Even though most of their armed men are not even Syrians as they hail from places such as Libya, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Gulf states, Chechnya, Bosnia, and other Europe.
Friends of yet another Syria are to meet in Moscow (or was it Tehran or Damascus) to support the regime of that other Syria. They will focus on logistics of weapons shipments and evading pesky satellites. My source claims they might try some trickery: she reports they might look into the possibility of having Bashar Al-Assad publicly denounce the Iranians, which they expect would lead the Western powers and the Saudis and Qataris to immediately adopt him as their new mascot instead of some Salafi cutthroat (or former regime rat, depending). Once they all cheer Bashar, he can turn around and change his mind. The logic is that if the Saudis and Qataris have allegedly chosen to support freedom and democracy (in Syria only), then whatever shift Bashar makes should be as credible.
Friends of yet another Syria, a political rather than military Syria, are slated to meet at some 5-star hotel in Turkey to discuss other relevant aspects of the new Syria they seek. Some of them will argue about the relevance of the New Syria to the rest of the cosmos; they will do so in French, of course.
Other friends (not Quakers) will split from this last group and powwow in classical Arabic. These latter will focus on weighty issues that are paramount in the very long-term, such as: (a) should one redo his ablutions if he crosses path with a foreign lady who wears shorts and is leading a shih-tzu on a leash? (b) why God trusts princes and clerics more than “average Joe” (make that “average Moe”)? (c) why the Lord, in His wisdom, prefers modesty and a humble demeanor and honesty and conformity in those who are ruled but prefers the rulers to be, if not total bastards (self-made of otherwise), then at least rakish?
Among other agonizing issues………….
Cheers
mhg