NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The United States and France announced increased support for opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad yesterday, but there was no sign that the direct military aid the rebels want to create safe havens for civilians is on the way.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a meeting of foreign ministers in New York that the United States would provide an additional $45 million in non-lethal and humanitarian aid to the Syrian opposition.
Of this, $30 million would be for humanitarian assistance and $15 million for non-lethal help, such as radios and training. The new pledges pushed total U.S. humanitarian aid for Syria to more than $130 million, and non-lethal aid to opposition groups to almost $45 million.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the same meeting of the so-called Friends of Syria – an informal group of countries supporting Assad’s ouster – that Paris was increasing its contacts with Syria’s armed rebels.
“The process is complex but the Syrian people have been waiting for 18 months for the opposition to succeed to move forward,” Fabius said. “It is within this perspective that France has increased its contacts with representatives of the armed opposition.”
