Newsletter 2013/06/17 – German War Assistance
DAMASCUS/BERLIN (Own report) – Leading up to talks between the German
chancellor and the US president, the German Foreign Ministry
reiterated its continuous support for the insurgents in Syria. Germany
– unlike the USA, Great Britain and France – will not be furnishing
weapons to the insurgent militias. Still, at the next summit
conference, Germany will seek a “concentrated exchange on what can
responsibly be done to help the Syrian opposition in this difficult
situation,” explains a spokesperson for the foreign ministry. Until
now, Berlin’s efforts have been mainly oriented toward political
support for the insurgents and the implementation of measures to
strengthen ties between the isolated opposition in exile with the
militias operating locally. The foreign ministry has been deploying
the services of relief organizations and providing medical treatment
for wounded militiamen in Bundeswehr hospitals, organized with the
support of exiled regime opponents. As shown by the huge stashes of
weapons discovered by government troops after retaking the small town
of Al Qusayr, a large amount of the insurgents’ weapons were smuggled
into Syria by ship – through the German Navy’s area of operations off
the coast of Lebanon.
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