Hisham Melhem Al Arabiya American sources said that US President Barack Obama is “satisfied” with the EU's decision to lift the arms embargo on Syrian rebels but is “unenthusiastic” about it. According to the sources, he still has doubts about the benefits of arming the opposition or about becoming engaged in a stronger position to speed up the toppling of President Bashar Al-Assad. Sources revealed that the EU's decision came following consultations and coordination with Washington, adding that Obama, US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Phillip Gordon and Ambassador Robert Ford – who is in charge of Syrian affairs at the US State Department – took part in discussions. Sources indicated that there is an agreement that European countries, including Britain and France, will not arm the opposition any time soon. However, they added that the decision aims to convince the Syrian opposition to participate in the second Geneva conference and aims to deliver a message to Assad that the West has other ways to pressure him. But hesitation and avoiding decisions remain the major features of Washington's policy toward Syria. Washington's and Europe's hesitant stances imply that they are looking for political means that allow them to gain more time and postpone difficult decisions, like arming, training, imposing a no-fly zone or launching air raids to obstruct the capabilities of the Syrian air force. A source in Congress spoke bitterly of how the Geneva conference has turned into an open Syrian “peace process” that provides cover for the Syrian regime and its allies in Tehran, Lebanon and Moscow to resume fighting. But at the same time, American officials confirm that they continue to evaluate military options, including imposing a no-fly zone, neutralizing the Syrian air force and launching limited military intervention operations via special forces – particularly if chemical arms are flagrantly used. Officials continue to say that they still bet on Free Syrian Army chief of staff Brigadier General Salim Idriss, whom the Americans want to prove competence and field capabilities especially in managing liberated zones before they seriously consider arming him via additional parties. In a letter recently sent to Kerry, Idriss called on him to arm the opposition with portable anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense systems and, in return, he presented guarantees that these weapons will be used by trusted Syrian military defectors. Officials also say that there is an American-European agreement against arming the opposition with anti-aircraft missiles. On the current complications of Syrian battles, an official said that the Geneva conference may collapse if Qusayr and its surrounding areas fall into the hands of the regime and Hezbollah, because if this happens, it will make it impossible for the opposition to participate in the conference. — Hisham Melhem is the Washington bureau chief of Al Arabiya. Follow him on Twitter @Hisham_Melhem
