Syrian opposition calls on international community to arm FSA

The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces called Tuesday on the international community to arm the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in order to defend the Syrian people against Al-Assad forces. A statement by the coalition called on world nations to take military measures against Al-Assad forces who are killing civilians. The extreme use of force and chemical weapons against the Syrian people during the past 30 months was proof that any political resolution would meet failure, the coalition said. More than half of the Syrian population were enormously affected by this war, with an estimated 110,000 people killed and around seven millions displaced, it added. "Al-Assad's regime forces are involved in using chemical weapons against the Syrian people and they are the only ones capable of producing, storing, and using such weapons, considering that all affected areas by toxic gases were freed from the regime's control" The coalition noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's remarks on the positive response of Syrian regime to his country's request on cleaning the Middle East region from all weapons of mass destruction contradicted the reality of the situation. Syria, along with seven countries, did not sign on the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The CWC is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons.