Syrian minister criticise Saudi for funding militants

The Syrian information minister lashed out at Saudi Arabia for funding and supporting militants and terrorist groups in his country, warning that Riyadh is responsible for the ongoing conflict in Syria. Omran al-Zoubi says Saudi Arabia is supplying weapons and money to "terrorists'' fighting to topple President Bashar Assad, Al-Alam reported. Damascus has previously blamed some western and Arab regimes for the conflict in Syria. Al-Zoubi's remarks came after Riyadh claimed that Syria faces a "foreign invasion'' by Assad's allies. His comments were carried by the state-run SANA news agency after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal discussed the conflict with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah, condemning President Assad for bolstering his army with fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah group. Saudi Arabia, Washington's key ally, is backing militant Jihadi, Salafi and Takfiri groups who come to Syria from across the world to topple President Assad's government. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said earlier that his country believes the al-Qaeda-linked groups in Syria should be armed. Speaking at a news conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah earlier in June, 2013, Prince Saud al-Faisal said his country is doing everything it can to help the militants in Syria and "calls for issuing an unequivocal international resolution to halt the provision of arms" to the Syrian government. He also said that Saudi Arabia "cannot be silent" over Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Resistance Movement Hezbollah supporting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Iran has repeatedly expressed its opposition to any foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs, stressing that inclusive dialog and national reconciliation as well as free elections are the keys to resolving the unrest in the Arab country. Moreover, the Islamic Republic has time and again dismissed claims about its military presence in Syria and the shipment of arms to the Arab country. On June 24, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem also rejected "rumors" by certain countries supporting terrorism that Iran has a military presence in Syria, saying that Tehran always seeks a political solution to the crisis in the Arab country.