(Releads with rebels receiving weapons from abroad)
TUNIS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Western and other countries
are turning a blind eye to weapons purchases by Syrian exiles
who are already smuggling light arms, communications equipment
and night vision goggles to rebels inside Syria, a Syrian
opposition source said on Friday.
Syrian opposition supporters were also trying to find ways
to bring anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons to the Free Syrian
Army, which is composed mainly of Syrian soldiers who have
defected and volunteer civilians, the source said.
"We are bringing in defensive and offensive weapons... It is
coming from everywhere, including Western countries and it is
not difficult to get anything through the borders," the source
told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"There is not a decision by any country to arm the rebels
but countries are allowing Syrians to buy weapons and send them
into the country."
Contacts were also ongoing to find ways to get retired
Syrian officers into Syria to act as advisers in an effort to
coordinate rebels fighting in a nearly year-old uprising against
Bashar al-Assad's rule and to train civilian volunteers in how
to use weapons that are being smuggled in.
The move is part of an effort to turn the Free Syrian Army,
so far composed of rag-tag groups fighting in different parts of
Syria with little ability to coordinate, into a unified force
with a chain of command that can better fight Assad's forces.
"The focus of the Syrian National Council is to create a
chain of command and organise the Free Syrian Army efforts and
to create a central base," the source said.
"There are people already identified to be in charge of this
(acting as advisors). There are lots of political discussions on
this issue... These will be Syrians, former Syrian officers,
retired, not a single non-Syrian."
Arab and Western powers have been divided over whether to
formally arm Syria's rebels, with some concerned that such
measures will only worsen the violence and suck in neighbouring
countries, with different governments backing different groups.
While the Free Syrian Army has been able to smuggle in
weapons across porous borders, Syrian opposition figures
attending a meeting of more than 50 nations said there was no
formal foreign military support for the opposition so far.
The question of whether governments critical of Assad should
arm the Syrian opposition has come into focus in recent days
after the United States appeared to suggest it would not oppose
the arming of the rebels if all diplomatic channels failed.
U.S. officials did not say if the United States would arm
the rebels but suggested they would find ways to arm themselves.
"There will be increasingly capable opposition forces. They
will from somewhere, somehow, find the means to defend
themselves as well as begin offensive measures," U.S Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday.
SNC CALLS FOR ARMING REBELS
The news came as Western and Arab countries met to discuss
the Syrian crisis in Tunis. Syria's main opposition Syrian
National Council (SNC) formally appealed to the "Friends of
Syria" to arm the Free Syrian Army and to support all forms of
popular resistance, as political efforts appeared deadlocked by
Russian and Chinese vetoes in the U.N. Security Council.
"If the regime fails to accept the terms of the political
initiative outlined by the Arab League and end violence against
citizens, the Friends of Syria should not constrain individual
countries from aiding the Syrian opposition by means of military
advisers, training and provision of arms to defend themselves,"
the SNC said in a seven-point statement of demands to the
international meeting in the birthplace of the Arab Spring.
An Arab official told Reuters on Friday that he did not
expect any move by governments to arm the Syrian opposition,
given divisions in its ranks. Formal support for the Syrian
opposition was likely to be financial and humanitarian, he said.
"Those who want to arm are not waiting for aid," he said.
The increasing militarisation of the Syrian uprising, which
began peacefully but has descended into violence that has killed
thousands of people, has caused significant unease among some
Arab officials concerned about a slide into civil war.
"I think this will complicate matters further. Militarising
the opposition and the protests will create a complicated
situation that might lead to a civil war and this is not
wanted," deputy Arab League chief Ahmed Ben Helli told Reuters
on the eve of the meeting on Thursday.
(Writing by Lin Noueihed; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
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