U.S. Gives Cash Boost to Syrian Rebels to Pressure Assad

The National reports that the U.S. has “increased direct funding to rebel groups fighting in Damascus and southern Syria, ramping up pressure on president Bashar al-Assad after negotiations in Geneva ended in deadlock.

“Last week, as the Syrian regime delegation in Switzerland vowed there would be ‘no concessions’ to the opposition, U.S. officials were handing over hundreds of thousands of dollars to Syrian rebel commanders in Jordan, according to opposition fighters.

“’From now until the next round of talks in Geneva, Assad will be under real pressure — he will feel more pressure from opposition forces,’” a rebel field commander cited a U.S. official as saying. The injection of funding from Washington comes on top of a major push by Arabian Gulf states to finance rebel operations in the southern region of Syria, including the war to control the capital, Damascus.

“More than US$1 billion has been paid out since the summer, much of it for weapons purchases in Eastern Europe, according to sources connected with Gulf governments, which are bankrolling the effort.”

U.N. Chief Says Syria Can Meet June 30 Deadline

Reuters reports from Sochi that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was “confident Syria would meet a June 30 deadline to eliminate its entire chemical weapons program under a US-Russian plan.

“Syria has missed the deadline to hand over its stockpile of chemical weapons by February 5, prompting fears it could fail to fulfil the plan which helped avert a U.S.-led missile strike against President Bashar al-Assad’s government. ‘About these chemical weapons, I believe the process has been moving on rather smoothly even though there have been some delays,’” Ban said, adding that “our target is June 30 this year. This may be a very tight target, but I believe that it can be done with the full support of the Syrian government.”

Illegal Excavations in Syria ‘Lethal’ to Cultural Heritage

UNESCO, the United Nations’s cultural agency, says that illegal excavations that are “extremely dangerous” and “lethal” to Syria’s cultural heritage are happening at archaeological sites throughout the country.

The AP reports that “Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO’s assistant director-general for culture, told a news conference that illegal digging has happened from the ancient Sumerian city of Mari to the ancient cities of Ebla, Palmyra and Apamea. ‘All of them have been subject to this phenomena, some of them to an extent that is unimaginable,’ he said. ‘Apamea — it’s completely destroyed.’

“Bandarin said archaeological material and cultural heritage objects are being trafficked through illegal systems into other countries and markets. The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organzation has been raising public awareness of illegal trafficking and started training police and customs forces in neighboring countries in the past month to spot looted items, Bandarin said.”

Hurriyet Daily News: Kerry Admits Assad is Making Gains

Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reports that Secretary of State John Kerry has admitted that Bashar al-Assad is making gains on the ground.

“‘It’s fair to say that Assad has improved his position a little bit, yes. But he’s still not winning. This is a stalemate,’ Kerry told CNN television in an interview. He was adamant, however, that Washington’s policy had not failed in the war-torn country, despite a mounting death toll in the three-year conflict.

“‘The policy in Syria is just very challenging and very difficult,’ Kerry added. Earlier this week, the State Department denied reports Kerry told U.S. lawmakers in a private meeting that it was time to change strategy in Syria, where some 136,000 people have died and millions have fled their homes. ‘I don’t want to make any excuse whatsoever. We want this to move faster. We want it to do better,’ Kerry said.

“‘But the point I’m making is that diplomacy is tough, slogging, slow work and hard work.’ January marked the deadliest month so far in the conflict with some 6,000 dead, and Kerry said the United States was ‘always in the process of re-evaluating whether there’s more we can do, should do.’”

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team:

AP: Syria Undecided on Next Round of Peace Talks

Reuters: Syrian Rebels Declare New Assault on Aleppo After Assad Gains

Reuters: Russia Says Now is Not the Time for Resolution on Aid to Syria

AFP: 246 Dead in 5 Days of Barrel Bombing of Syria’s Aleppo

Daily Beast: By The Numbers: Syria’s Crimes Against Its Children

Telegraph: Syrian Military Drop Devastating ‘Barrel Bombs’ on City

Al Monitor: Syrian Kurdish Groups Split Over Autonomy Decision