Friends of Syria agree military aid to rebels: Statement

DOHA - Agence France-Presse

Khalid al-Attiyah (L), Qatari acting minister of business and trade, and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, listen as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as he speaks during a meeting of the 'Friends of Syria' group in Doha, on June 22. AFP photo

Foreign ministers of countries supporting the Syrian opposition on June 22 agreed to provide it "urgently" with materiel to support rebels in their fight against regime forces, a final statement said.

The ministers agreed to "provide urgently all the necessary materiel and equipment to the opposition on the ground, each country in its own way in order to enable them to counter brutal attacks by the regime and its allies and protect the Syrian people," it said.

The ministers agreed "to channel all military support by the relevant countries through the Staff Chairmanship of the Syrian Supreme Military Council," the statement said.

They also agreed that the crossing into the Syrian territory of militia and fighters that support the regime, a clear reference to Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement, "must be prevented".

Ministers from Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States attended the talks.

They agreed "to pursue all appropriate avenues in the UN to support and protect the Syrian people".