Yesterday, July 30, 2012, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laurent Fabius, gave an interview to to French radio RTL in which he declared (at 1:00) that “Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and other countries are shipping weapons to the Syrian rebels”. 

This declaration is quite interesting in regard with an earlier reaction of the Walloon government on that very same question. Answering to a parliamentary question, the Minister-President Rudy Demotte declared, on June 26, 2012, that there were “so far no proof that the Gulf countries were diverting weapons made in the EU to the Syrian opposition”. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are major importers of EU weapons, and are not manufacturing their own small arms. In case of weapons diversion, new export licenses could be suspended. To understand the full extend of the problem, you might want to read this article on my blog, and this one, as well as this one on the New York Times.

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Hier, le 30 juillet 2012, Laurent Fabius, ministre français des Affaires Etrangère, donnait une interview à la radio française RTL dans laquelle il a déclaré que “le Qatar, l’Arabie Saoudite et d’autres pays fournissent des armes aux rebelles syriens”.

Cette déclaration est assez intéressante lorsqu’on la met en perspective avec la réaction de la Région Wallonne sur la même question. Répondant à une question parlementaire, le ministre-président Rudy Demotte déclarait, le 26 juin 2012, qu’il n’y avait “actuellement pas de preuve de détournement d’armes en provenance de l’Union Européenne par le Qatar vers la Syrie” (omettant au passage l’Arabie Saoudite). Le Qatar et l’Arabie Saoudite sont d’importants importateurs d’armes européennes, ne fabriquant pas leur propre armes légères. En cas de détournement, les nouvelles licences d’exportation d’armes pourraient se voir suspendues. Pour comprendre l’étendue de la problématique, vous pouvez lire cet article sur mon blog, ainsi que celui-ci et celui-ci sur le New York Times.

Will the Walloon Region keep on selling weapons to Qatar and Saudi Arabia?

After those two countries publicly declared that they wanted to arm the Syrian rebels, after reports that they were already doing it, that was the question to ask. You can find out why here and here.

The Walloon Region did not want to disclose what its policy would be regarding those two countries. The Demotte cabinet referred to another organ of the Walloon administration. The latest did not know anything about the policy and said that they were not entitled to speak about it, referring back to the Demotte cabinet.The decision, though, was made around April 26. Two months later, on June 26 exactly, we can finally know that the Walloon Region does not consider that Saudi Arabia and Qatar present a risk of arms re-exportation to the Syrian rebels.

Eventually, in order to know what the decision of the Walloon Region was, a parliamentary question had to be asked. The answer came a few days ago.

Réponse de Rudy Demotte à la question parlementaire de Luc Tiberghien concernant les licences d’exportation…

More information tomorrow, on Saturday June 30, in Le Soir (in French) and on Monday July 2, on Apache (in Dutch).

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Update, Saturday June 30: it seems that the article in French might be published on Monday too.

The fierce government assaults from the air are partly a response to improved tactics and weaponry among the opposition forces, which have recently received more powerful antitank missiles from Turkey, with the financial support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to members of the Syrian National Council, the main opposition group in exile, and other activists. The United States, these activists said, was consulted about these weapons transfers. Officials in Washington said the United States did not take part in arms shipments to the rebels, though they recognized that Syria’s neighbors would do so, and that it was important to ensure that weapons did not end up in the hands of Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups. (…) Speaking in Istanbul, council members also described efforts to supply the opposition with arms, specifically antitank weaponry delivered by Turkish Army vehicles to the Syrian border, where it was then transferred to smugglers who took it into Syria. Turkey has repeatedly denied that it is giving anything other than humanitarian aid to the opposition, mostly at refugee camps near the border. It has recently made those camps harder to visit: permission was not granted to two reporters in the vicinity for five days last week. Turkey did not act alone, but with financial support from Qatar and Saudi Arabia and after consultation with the United States, said these officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the subject’s diplomatic delicacy. “Heavier Weapons Push Syrian Crisis Toward Civil War”, The New York Times, June, 12, 2012. Photo: Rebel fighters with the Free Syrian Army at a house in Aleppo. On the left, 6 50.00 FN FAL can be seen. (Associated Press)
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The fierce government assaults from the air are partly a response to improved tactics and weaponry among the opposition forces, which have recently received more powerful antitank missiles from Turkey, with the financial support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to members of the Syrian National Council, the main opposition group in exile, and other activists.

The United States, these activists said, was consulted about these weapons transfers. Officials in Washington said the United States did not take part in arms shipments to the rebels, though they recognized that Syria’s neighbors would do so, and that it was important to ensure that weapons did not end up in the hands of Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups.

(…)

Speaking in Istanbul, council members also described efforts to supply the opposition with arms, specifically antitank weaponry delivered by Turkish Army vehicles to the Syrian border, where it was then transferred to smugglers who took it into Syria.

Turkey has repeatedly denied that it is giving anything other than humanitarian aid to the opposition, mostly at refugee camps near the border. It has recently made those camps harder to visit: permission was not granted to two reporters in the vicinity for five days last week. Turkey did not act alone, but with financial support from Qatar and Saudi Arabia and after consultation with the United States, said these officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the subject’s diplomatic delicacy.

“Heavier Weapons Push Syrian Crisis Toward Civil War”, The New York Times, June, 12, 2012.

Photo: Rebel fighters with the Free Syrian Army at a house in Aleppo. On the left, 6 50.00 FN FAL can be seen. (Associated Press)

Syrian rebels are being armed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar

Syrian rebels are being armed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, The Independent has learnt, in a development that threatens to inflame a regional power struggle provoked by the 15-month-old uprising against the Assad regime.

Rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have received weapons from the two Gulf countries, which were transported into Syria via Turkey with the implicit support of the country’s intelligence agency, MIT, according to a Western diplomat in Ankara.

After the publication of my pieces in The New York Times (1 and 2), Le Soir and Apache about the fact that the Walloon Government would have to take a decision regarding arms export licenses to Qatar and Saudi Arabia after those countries publicly claimed they wanted to arm the Syrian rebels, a question was asked in the Walloon Parliament (see the video, in French). Here is the transcription (starts page 10, in French).

Compte rendu séances parlement wallon

Rudy Demotte, minister-president of the Walloon Region, the authority delivering arms export licenses and the only shareholder of the weapons fabric FN Herstal, recognized that Qatar and Saudi Arabia pose a risk of re-export of arms (as stated by the criterion 7 of the European Common Position).

By allowing new licenses, the Walloon Region breaches this point of the European reglement. By suspending new licenses, the Walloon Region threatened its arms industry.

Mister Demotte said that he was waiting for a COARM advice, to see what the other EU member states would do, before taking a decision. According to the Walloon Region, this advice had come, and will be followed, but has to remain confidential. According to other sources, the COARM didn’t discuss the matter, and their has been no advice whatsoever. More to come this month!

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