Saudi prince criticises US and UK for not supporting Free Syrian Army

A Saudi prince has criticised the lack of support from the US and Britain for the fighters of the Free Syrian Army. Turki Al-Faisal claimed that the conflict and the massacres in Syria “will continue” in the absence of such support from the West.

The former director of Saudi Arabia’s general intelligence agency made his remarks to a number of journalists on the fringe of the World Policy Conference. “The fighters plead, in vain, for defensive weapons,” said Al-Faisal. “Ever since the FSA appeared in response to the Assad regime’s attacks on its own people, requests for such assistance have been ignored.”

As such, he insisted, the FSA is not in the position that it was expected to be at this time. “If there is no balance of power, there will be no chance of stopping the violence later,” he added.

The United States and Britain announced last week that they will suspend non-lethal aid to the fighters after “Islamic militants” seized a main crossing point, with an arms depot, that was controlled by the Free Syrian Army on the border with Turkey.